It's Button City, and I'm the mayor!

Hello fellow sewers!

This dress continues my pursuit of the perfect button-through! I just love what buttons add to the interest of a dress... This bodice began life as an Anna hack, but the only thing that remains of that design are the darts, and even those have been narrowed a bit. So does this count as self-drafting? Anyway, here it is. The skirt is a Charlotte, with the mods I made to fit me plus a button placket down the front and the rise extended to meet the bodice.

Except it didn't meet the bodice at all - I ended up adding a rectangular strip round the waist about 4" thick to marry the two. Which works fairly well I think! I added ties at the back to help cinch it in a bit too.

I was really inspired by this dress that Jess made. I love the pockets she added to hers, and will no doubt shamelessly rip off that idea in a future version! I prefer her straighter skirt too, and her fabric - but I'll keep going with mine till it's perfect!

The fabric is a cornflower blue shirting cotton from Fabworks Online - I think it's a little lightweight for this pattern and I'll use something heavier next time. Which there will be, soon!

This dress has already had a few outings, and fits well in my wardrobe. Hooray for all the buttons in the world, all panting for homes on home-sewn dresses!

Stripes for a wedding

Hello fellow sewers!

I went to an absolutely lovely wedding last weekend in Usk in Wales. The sun shone on the day and it was one of best I can remember attending. Thank you Lynne and Matt!

A wedding is still an excuse for a new dress! I had a sort-of toile I'd been tinkering with for Sally and Dave's wedding in July. This is an Emery Dress bodice with an Anna maxi skirt. I made no alterations to either pattern, except to leave off the Emery sleeves and and lining, finishing the armscyes and neckline with bias binding instead.

 The leftover bits of fabric went to the freestyled ruffled sleeves and a tie for the waist. I was really happy with how the stripes in the tie contrast with the ones in the skirt - a happy accident!

The fabric is an Indian block-print from Indian Stores, the Etsy shop with extra lovely goodies in it at the moment...

I really love this dress! I think it's one of my fave things I've made, even though its maxi-ness might mean it doesn't get tons of outings. I think it might get dirty in London as soon as I step foot out the door.

But it was an excellent wedding outfit. It survived pie-eating, two rounds of ceilidhs, a game of rounders and the resulting blood (clumsy!), having water poured directly onto it from a watering can by a high-spirited younger member of the party, and of course a wedding-sized portion of booze. 

Thank you once again to my unofficial blog photographer Shelley!