Breaking the Pattern Solina Dress

I have been screenshotting, saving and pinning images of dresses that look pretty much like this for ages. High necks, long sleeves and midi lengths all in glamorous floaty fabrics that come together to make an elegant dress that you can wear out  in all seasons. There certainly is a gap in my wardrobe for something like this. And then along came this book, so I knew what I had to make first out of it!

Boho Blush Shawl double feature

It's been a bit quiet over here on the blog - there has still been making but not much photography and writing! About this time last year I decided to learn to knit as well as sew, and I've been just as addicted to this as dressmaking. (If you are interested, the knitting label on the right will link you to my very first projects and how I got started with learning this new skill). I gave away my first shawl as a gift for my Nan, and found myself on holiday later in the year desperately wishing I had another (it was hot in the days but cold at night!). So whilst on holiday I spent my time looking at patterns and yarn. It just so happened the Andrea Mowry also had a sale on her patterns, so the Boho Blush shawl became top contender for my return from holiday project. I loved knitting it so much I made a second as another gift, this time for my Mum, which turned out even better!

Sew Over It Rosie Dress in Liberty lawn

This is a perfect summer dress pattern. It's one I've had in my stash for some time and I'm kicking myself that I haven't made it until now! The Rosie dress has a pleated and gathered skirt with a princess seamed bodice. You can choose from different necklines and straps, or to make the skirt on its own. I made mine in beautiful Liberty lawn and love it!

Fabric

I bought this Liberty cotton lawn from the Sewbox stall at the Knitting and Stitching show. They sell pre-cut packages at a good price - this was 2m for £26 (pretty much half price). I had intended this for another project, but it didn't have enough drape for that. It is perfect for this dress though as you need something with a bit of structure to hold the centre pleat. It's light and feels comfortable in the heat.
I managed to source a navy cotton lawn to line the bodice with - that is actually more difficult than you might think! The only one I could find that wasn't at full Liberty price was this one from FabricUK.

Pattern and Instructions

I bought the printed pattern in one of Sew Over It's sales and kept it for quite some time! I initially bought it because you can insert boning into the bodice which I found interesting. In my version I left off the boning in the end but the instructions are there, with handy illustrations too.
As per all Sew Over It printed patterns you get a package containing an instruction booklet and the pattern pieces printed on tissue paper. I normally sew a size 10 in their patterns, and this was no exception. There are a few different options that you can play with - I cut the sweetheart bodice and wider straps. You can also choose a straight bodice or vintage style 'collar' and narrower straps too. I find their instructions quite straightfoward and didn't have any problems in making. I would say though that I underestimated how long it would take to hand sew that hem....there's a whole lotta skirt there! I wouldn't machine it though as I think the hand stitch is better.

Alterations

I kept the length for a change! I had to take in the bodice side seams a little at the top as they were winging out - there could have been some stretching as I was making because I didn't stay stitch the bodice pieces (that's not in the instructions either though). The waist has a little more ease than I usually wear, but I didn't want it too tight for a summer dress.

This is an intermediate pattern, but I found it really enjoyable to take time over these details, using the tips that I gained from the Couture Techniques Craftsy class I had taken. This is easily a pattern that you could use for a wedding guest dress; it's a perfect summer dress.

Personally, I find the way that the pleats are arranged at the front, along with the gathered back skirt, makes for a very flattering silhouette. The pattern also includes a variation just of this skirt which I am seriously considering in a crepe fabric once I have figured out what I can wear on the top half to match...suggestions welcome!

Most worn: Colette Moneta hacks

It feels a bit odd putting this pattern into most worn as I've only made it this year but I'm already getting lots of wear out of my first hacked Moneta, and this second modal version is also out a lot lately too! This is one of those times when you buy a fabric just because you love it, and then take ages to decide what to make with it. As it happened I realised I needed a dress that would look elegant enough to wear in a  nice restaurant, but was also appropriate for daytime rather than evening. It might also be the first time that I have used a border print fabric like this so I really wanted to do it justice and make best use of the pattern.

Most worn: DIY slash neck Breton stripe top

I wear this all the time - it's one of my favourite tops ever, not just that I've made. It's more of a happy accident than anything though! This neckline suits me more than most others and the fabric not only matches a lot but is really comfortable to wear. Thanks to YouTube, again, it's so easy to do as well.

Sew Over It Ultimate Wrap Dress

Do you ever buy a fabric just because you love it and then have to think long and hard about what you will actually make with it? This was one of those. I saw this fabric on the Lamazi Fabric Instagram feed and impulse bought 3m, as you do. I must have had a wrap dress somewhere in my mind to have bought this much and eventually decided on the Sew Over It Ultimate Wrap Dress. I bought this pattern years ago but have never got around to making it, until now.