This Saltspring dress project started with some fabric. Some John Kaldor Portia stretch fabric in lime green and navy. Said John Kaldor fabric ended up sat next to my desk and I just couldn't stop looking at it and, yes, I freely admit, stroking it. By the end of the day I knew I simply had to make something out of it. So, five minutes before everyone was due to finish for the day (nothing like a bit of pressure!) I decided to scour our website for a suitable sundress pattern. As soon as I saw the Saltspring I knew it was the perfect match. Ed said I would look like Lilo Lil (anyone remember Bread?!) I obviously ignored him.
I didn't need to bother putting a zip in the back of the dress thanks to the stretchy fabric and loose fit of the design. Great, I thought. You know how much I love a quick sew. In her infinite wisdom she also pointed out that the patterned fabric would show through the lined, bloused bodice and suggested I use our John Kaldor ritual jersey fabric in white for the lining. That's the wonderful thing about having a mentor - I never would have thought of that and would have had to learn it the hard way. It was the first time I had worked with the ritual fabric and I have to say I was really impressed, despite it being fairly lightweight and white it wasn't remotely transparent and the quality is excellent.
I trotted home, washed and tumble dried the fabric then pressed it before starting to cut it out. Unfortunately I didn't think the no zip adaptation through properly before cutting the fabric out and cut the back pieces of the dress with a centre back seam instead of omitting it and cutting them on the fold. I was going admit defeat and make it with a centre back seam taking it on the chin as a lesson learned. Could I get another bodice out of one of the incorrect skirt pieces? Hey presto, I could and there was just enough spare fabric left from my main fabric length for another skirt sans centre back seam, yay! This might seem pretty obvious to you experienced sewists out there, but for anyone relatively new to the game like me I thought it was a great tip.
The sizing of the Sewaholic patterns is always a bit of a head scratcher for me because they are designed for pear shaped figures so my measurements never sit neatly in one size. I was a size 8 by my bust and waist measurements and a size 4 by my hip measurement so I decided to just grade the skirt in from an 8 at the waist to a 4 at the hips. To be honest I think it would actually be fine left as a size 8 since it is a loose fitting design and it would just mean the skirt would be fuller, but I wanted the perfect fit so adjusted it accordingly.
As is always the case with Sewaholic patterns the instructions were incredibly clear and easy to understand and the dress was really easy to make, even easier thanks to omitting the zip. I also chose to omit the pockets. I don't really get the fascination with pockets - everything I need to take with me goes in my handbag and any pocket filling items such as children's snotty tissues can go in Ed's pockets - ha ha!
The fabric I chose to work with was very stretchy and slippery so it was mildly challenging cutting it, but nothing to really complain about. I did use my walking foot for some of the seams, but not all and managed just fine with a standard machine foot. I also applied a little bit of stretch interfacing to the neckline to help keep the shape. Once I'd put the bodice and lining together the fabric seemed to be gathering weirdly under the arm and then I realised I needed to grade the seam allowances and add some snips round the curve of the arm hole.
When making the straps I decided to use a trick May Martin demonstrated on an overlocker at the Simplicity bloggers meet in May. Firstly you run off a long chain of stitches on your overlocker leaving them attached to the overlocker. Next fold the strap length ways, right sides together, lining the raw edges up. Run the chain of stitches down the centre of the strap from the top end (nearest the overlocker) to the bottom end (nearest your lap). Start overlocking down the raw edge making sure the chain of stitches is comfortably in the fold so it doesn't get caught by the new line of stitching. Also consider the width of your stitches carefully - if they are too wide you won't be able to turn the strap through.
To turn the strap through to the right side hold the chain of stitches poking out of the bottom end and gently pull to start pulling the strap through. A handy tip is to use a bamboo knitting needle or something similar to poke the fabric through at the top end to get it started.
I was feeling the overlocker love after making the straps and decided to be really brave and sew the side seams on the Babylock Imagine. I knocked the differential feed up a notch to achieve a straight seam, testing it on a scrap of fabric first, and was really pleased with the result: saving time + a super professional finish = a happy sewist!
All in all this was a great little project, easy to sew, an opportunity to try out some new techniques with the straps and side seams and I lovethe finished article. It can be dressed up with strappy heels or dressed down with flat sandals and has pride of place in my suitcase ready for my holiday this week.
Shopping List
- John Kaldor Portia stretch fabric lime and navy
- John Kaldor Ritual jersey fabricwhite
- 1/4" elastic
- Stretch interfacing
Have fun sewing!
Lucy
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