SweetMyrtle: Flower meadow dress

My latest make is a dress ; )

early last year i took a trip up to the wonderful Fabrics Galore shop in London with my sewing partner Alice, my dear friend Janet Clare and one of our lovely sewing class students Kate. It was an enjoyable trip and we all came away with lighter pockets but lots of delicious fabrics to work with. One of my purchases that day was 2 metres of pretty floral cotton lawn. When i chose it i was thinking it would make a wonderful kimono style dressing gown.

I finally took it down from the shelf in my studio, just a month ago and decided to use it to make another New Look 6184 . My original dress was unlined but as cotton lawn is very lightweight i decided to line it. When i started cutting into it i had forgotten that i only had 2 metres and this dress needed almost 3. The full skirt version has 4 side panels and i was 2 short so i searched the internet in the hope of finding the same print. i was so lucky as Minerva fabrics had some!

The dress is a pretty straightforward make. i love that all the shaping is at the neck, in the four pleats, so no darts to stitch. the pattern is fairly quick to sew up too and gives instructions for facing the neck and binding the seam with bias binding. As well as two neck variations the pattern comes with two skirt options. the full skirt, which i opted for, is made up of 7 panels so a few seams to sew and neaten, but it is all doable. I had double to sew though as i was lining it which took a little longer.

There are a few methods one can use to line a dress and i chose the method of leaving the side seams and centre back seam open and sewing the lining to the main fabric at the neck and the armholes. After clipping the seams i turned the garment right side out by passing the bodice through the shoulders. This can be confusing the first time you do it but it works brilliantly and with a little additional understitching means that the neckline and armholes are beautifully finished off.

After i had sewn up the side seams i checked for fit, then added the skirt and a concealed zip at the centre back and finished off the seam. I must admit that i neatened all my seams with my overlocker for speed as i was itching to wear it. Then i just had the hems to sew; i machine stitched a narrow hem on the lining and used a hand sewn herringbone stitch to finish the hem on the cotton lawn. I love my new dress and when i wear it i feel like i am wearing a fragrant flower meadow. i seem to have a thing about flower meadows it seems ; )