If you are not already aware, me and my best friend Gemma are making an effort to make time once a month to have a Sewing Day. On the first one we made a jacket which I blogged about here . As I prepare for my next Sewing Day with Gemma I finally got myself into gear to write an article for our last Sewing Day, which happened at the end or March. Ops!  For this I used Simplicity E1653 which I got for free with issue 94 of Sew Magazine. As I wanted to shop my stash (both pieces came from my local Abakhan store) for this and maybe do some colour blocking, which I tested on the croquis above.

In the end I chose to make view B with long sleeves slim fit. Before I started sewing I shortened the bodice and sleeves by 3cm. The skirt was also shortened by 7.5cm. As I intended to make most of it on the overlocker, I cut of 1 cm of the seam allowance. 

I tried to follow the instructions but I also looked online are reviews and found that some of the instructions were wrong, so I ended up doing my own thing. I finished the neckline with clear elastic that was about 2.5cm shorter than the finished edge. I should have taken my time with it, but I didn’t and it it’s not the prettiest on the inside. But on the right side, it looks lovely and as it stretches nicely across the bust (due to the elastic). Against pattern instructions I finished the hem on the bodice before I stitched the side seams, In fact I  finished the side seams last. I made the ties and and sleeves with the yellow fabric, as I could not be bothered cutting them separately in different colours. Once I attached the tie to the front wrap, I top stitched in place and cut off the excess. In this section I did not reduce the seam allowance. I also used the triple zig-zag as this stitch does not create as many waves as double needle. On the hems I used the same stitch, but before sewing it, I used the knit interfacing to get a wave free hem. Once I tried the dress, I discovered that I needed to take out about 5cm off the side seam to get the fit I wanted. I hate when dresses are too loose. They just look awful. I prefer a closer fit that shows off a bit of my curves. I did make one mistake with it, I’ve put the tie that sits inside the side hem a bit to high. But you cannot really tell from the pictures. As long as I tie it really tight it is not an issue. I think the back looks a bit weird with yellow sleeves, what do you think? Summer where are you? I am all bright and ready for you!