Way back in 2013 I made myself a strappy sundress using Simplicity 2176. During its short life it was a great success, it was made with lovely fabric and had a cool vintage vibe. Sadly it came a cropper in the washing machine when the blue dye from the main dress seeped into the white bodice band, leaving it an unsightly shade of dishwater grey. I know, I know, I probably could have saved it by unpicking the bodice band and adding a new one, but as we all know I'm totally lazy and that was never going to happen. The dress was donated to charity and I was left one sundress short in my summer wardrobe. This year, I finally got round to sewing a replacement.
I did a bit of tinkering with the bodice for this second version. The fit on the bust on my original dress was always quite tight, which made the waistline ride up as a consequence. This time I added a one inch full bust adjustment (FBA) and lengthened the bodice by 5/8". I also added a little extra to the side seams as I find very tight waists unbearable in hot weather. Overall I think the fit on the bodice is much better - it's not actually that noticeable but I feel the benefit!
Original on left, new version on right |
The skirt is from New Look 6557, the same one I used for my Fireworks dress. I love this shape of skirt (a quarter circle) in the hot weather as it's cool and airy without being too big. The only other change I made was to substitute the lapped zip for an invisible one and attach the inside bodice band to the zip by machine for a neat finish.
The duck egg blue fabric is a lovely lightweight floral lawn that I leapt on when Freya was de-stashing at a recent meet up. There was 2m to play with, which was just enough for this dress, thanks Freya! The colour is slightly brighter in real life, more like the photo below.
Because the fabric is very light I underlined the bodice sections and cut a separate skirt lining with white silk cotton. I probably should have added a full lining to the bodice instead of underlining it as this would have concealed the notched princess seams. I also added strips of interfacing either side of the invisible zip for extra support and stay tape across the top of the bodice to prevent it stretching.
Spot the felt tip marks that still need to be washed out! |
Without really intending to I seem to have put quite a lot of effort into making this dress! The irony is that there hasn't been a truly hot day in London since I finished it, so it hasn't actually been worn yet. It does look good with a cardigan though! x
Looks really fresh and lovely
ReplyDeleteThanks Debbie! x
DeleteWhat a nice dress you made for yourself. You should be proud of yourself!
ReplyDeleteGreetz, Elke
Thank you! x
DeleteThe dress looks lovely. I guess we have you to thank for this foul weather!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I should post about boiling hot coats then maybe the sun will come out! x
DeleteI LIKE THE DRESS. LOOKS COMFORTABLE. SUSAN
ReplyDeleteThank you, I hope it is comfortable (when I eventually get to wear it!) X
DeleteIt's lovely! It looks perfect for summer.
ReplyDeleteI hope so, if summer ever arrives! x
DeleteBeautiful dress
ReplyDeleteThank you! x
DeleteSuper lovely dress, Jane - perfect for the current weather!!!
ReplyDeleteYep, my seasonally appropriate blog post planning is second to none! x
DeleteVery pretty, hope you can wear it without a cardigan soon!
ReplyDeleteSo do I! x
DeleteBeautiful dress!
ReplyDeleteThank you! x
DeletePretty dress! I love the color, looks great on you. I'll trade you weather, it's 104 degrees today in Washington State. I need a pool. I cant wait for fall, my favorite season.
ReplyDeleteI can't even begin to imagine that kind of heat! x
DeleteThis is lovely! I think the fabric is so summery and gorgeous. Isn't it funny how a small adjustment (that nobody else would notice) can make all the difference between whether or not you will wear the finished garment?
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, sometimes that small adjustment totally dictates whether a garment is worn or not! x
DeleteGorgeous dress, I love the fit. Fingers crossed for an unseasonally hot week in October!
ReplyDelete