Keeping cool in the Heatwave - the Stevie dress

Can you believe the weather this Summer? It’s amazing - I’ve been able to wear my holiday wardrobe to work. The only downside (and I really don’t want to moan) is that I work in an un-air conditioned office that is glass-sided and south-facing. Luckily an email popped into my inbox with news of the new pattern releases from Tilly and the Buttons a couple of weeks ago. While the Seren dress looks nice, it was the Stevie that caught my eye as I knew it was something I’d get loads of wear out of. 

I had a couple of fabrics in my stash that I thought would work well with this pattern. I opted to make the first version in some navy cotton voile bought in the sale from Seasalt. You can only buy this fabric in pre-cut lengths. Luckily I had 3m of it as it is super narrow. I’ve only just about got enough for something for Polly left. I opted for the version with pocket and cuffs and was super proud of myself that I pattern-matched the pocket so well you can hardly see it!  This is marketed as a beginners pattern and it is a quick easy sew. However, it has some lovely features such as the back yoke and bow. I love the fit without any adjustments from my usual size in Tilly patterns (3). I was slightly concerned that it was too short, but looking at the photos, I think it’s ok. The fabric was gorgeous to sew with and so comfortable to wear. 

For my second version I used a bold Liberty print lawn from Abakhan. I bought this a while ago without a project in mind, and I knew it would work well with the simplicity of this dress. I decided to leave off the pocket this time as the design of the fabric has a large print. I also didn’t pattern match at the back as I was trying to be frugal with the fabric, but I think I got away with it!  As with all Liberty fabric, it feels buttery-soft and luxurious. I’m saving the rest for another project. 

I’m leaving it at two versions of Stevie for now, but I’m sure I’ll make other versions in future. It’s perfect for the warm weather and easy enough to sew in an evening. 

Tag you’re it!

At the end of last Summer, I saw the new Alexander Henry fabric designs and fell in love with ‘Tag You’re It’, which is a retro New York style graffiti print. I’ve always loved old school hip hop and the opportunity to make a dress in this fabric was too good to be true. I bought the fabric straight away, then it sat in my cupboard for almost a year while I ummed and ahhed about what to make with it. I used a bit for the side and top panels for some board shorts for Thomas while I was trying to work out what to make. 

I came across a discussion on a sewing group on Facebook where someone had the same fabric and was asking for suggestions about what to make with it. Someone else suggested Simplicity 3833 which is a reissue of a 1960s pattern. It’s a simple a-line dress which suits a bold fabric design. It was a great suggestion and I ordered the pattern straight away. 

There were more pattern pieces that I expected, and I ended up cutting into the pattern itself rather than tracing off as I usually do in order to save time. For some reason, I got distracted by other projects, and this sat in a bag for about three months. We were going to a gig last week and I fancied making something new to wear, so picked it back up again. 

The bust dart seams were a new technique, and I’m not convinced that I’ve got the fit quite right. I really didn’t like the instructions or sewing order with this pattern, so ended up making it in the order I would normally sew a dress. I also changed the zip for an invisible zip. As I often find with Simplicity patterns, there is a huge amount of ease and it came up far too big. I took it in at the side seams which helped, but I think there are a few more adaptations I would make if I was going to make this again. 

The fabric is lovely quality and really nice to wear. I would be tempted to make the dress again in another fabric, but spend more time on fitting (as usual, I was sewing up to the wire with this!).