Up until I went to the Leeds Meet-up (SewUp North) this year I was doing fine in doing a Fabric Shopping Fast. It lasted from June to November. But then I could not help myself not to get this awesome Cherry cord.  You cannot blame me, I actually got the last 1.3m of the roll, that’s how popular it was on the day. I’ve already seen some makes made with this fabric on the interwebs.

I have had the pattern from my Sew Magazine issue 76, but you can still buy it from the Simplicity UK website. I finished this project last year, but I am a bit slow on catching up with my makes. I had some pictures taken outside, but they did not look good so I got some in my living room instead.

I chose my size by the finished garment measurements, as NewLook patterns have a lot of ease. I also shortened the bodice above the bust by 1.3 cm in the armscye area. This meant that I needed to adjust the sleeve facing by 2.6cm as well. It also meant that I needed to lower the pocket position by 1.3cm as well.  To make the dress hem to hit just above the knee, I shortened it by another 2.5 cm.  For this dress I did not use the facings because I decided to add lining instead. For the lining pieces I used the front and back pieces to cut in lining fabric and cut them about 3cm shorten than the main fabric pieces. I used the same process to construct it, I just did not leave an opening for the pockets.

I almost ruined the dress, and I had no extra fabric. In my haste I added the zipper and then added the lining and used my shears to trim the seam around the armhole. Then I realised I cannot turn it to the right side. I was so close to ditch the whole thing. But I had the energy to get the seam ripper and carefully undo the work. Luckily for me, I stay-stitched the armholes and the neckline. I managed to save the dress and with some hand stitching, I saved the dress. You can not even tell I made a mistake. Disaster averted. I did have to get a bit more into the seam, which made the opening a bit big. The fabric I used for the lining was already in my stash. I have no idea what is it made of. I only know it was a pain to work with, very slippery. Though it feels so nice against the skin. I used the same fabric for the pocket lining. Originally, I wanted to use an exposed zip to create a break in the pattern so that you cannot see the centre back pattern does not match, but I could not find a navy blue zip that was close enough in colour with the fabric, so I ended up using an invisible zip. Because this is a pretty simple dress, I did not use the instructions that come with the pattern. To construct the dress I just started with sewing the darts first, then added the pocket pieces sewed the shoulder and side seams. Added the zip, which I should have added after the lining was stitched to the main fabric. Got to remember this for my next make! Hemmed both the main dress and the lining. I handstitched the lining to the zip.                   I enjoy wearing this dress, it’s very comfortable. A little number for the office and not only. I have the feeling I’ll wear it for other occasions. At the moment I work from home so me making all these office outfits is not quite a good idea. Any ideas where I could wear a dress like this?