Sewing summer dresses in winter: my Resort Collection Part I
This year, we were lucky enough to spend the February school break in the sun. But I was in a conundrum clothes-wise: I had left all my summer wardrobe in France, and in my London wardrobe I had absolutely nothing appropriate for tropical climates. I had no other choice but to sew an entire Resort Collection from scratch – here it is! And off course it is solely made of dresses!
Sewing M7952: my Valentines dress
- Pattern: my third version of McCall’s M7259 – my two previous versions can be found here and here.
- Fabric: a lightweight cotton poplin fabric from Croftmill (5.5m still available at the time of writing!!), specifically bought with Valentines in mind. This is actually my first ever Valentines dress!
- Size and fit: I used my previously cut pieces of pattern (size 10 with a FBA explained here) but I have lost a bit of weight due to acute food allergies… So while this pattern fitted like a glove previously, this time I ended up with quite a bit of bagging at the neckline – all from my own laziness, nothing to blame on the pattern! I removed 2cm on each side and it sorted the problem.
- Changes I made to the pattern: appart from the FBA and neckline adjustment explained above, I replaced the back buttons by a zip. Beware that if you do not add 2cm of fabric at the back to all pieces of pattern, you will be removing 4cm of ease in total – it worked for me but it means the pocket positioning is not right.
- What I like in this pattern: everything! The pretty neckline, the crossed straps at the back, the pockets, the less-voluminous-than-my-usual skirt. No dislikes whatsoever.
- Love factor: very high! This pattern is perfectly designed and works wonders for very hot weather.
Sewing another shirred dress: the funky tulips dress
- Pattern: seld-drafted using my own tutorials available here and here. I am addicted to shirred dresses and have made so many I have actually lost count.
- Fabric: a cotton lawn from SewMeSunshine, supposedly designer deadstock. I was drawn to the colour combination but the quality is a huge disappointment, it does not feel like cotton lawn at all, it has limited drape and creases like mad!
- Size and fit: the pattern is very size-inclusive so frankly not an issue.
- What I like in this pattern: I find strapless shirred dresses the best for summer, as they are very lightweight and prevent suntan marks. And shirring is utterly relaxing, a bit like enjoying a session of meditation while sewing!
- Love factor: sadly quite low… This fabric was really a waste of my time…
Sewing a Semis rainbow dress
- Pattern: this dress is based on the bodice of the Semis dress by Delphine and Morrissette; and with meters and meters of gathered fabric for the self-drafted skirt: 1.5m for the first panel, x1.5 for the next, x1.5 for the next etc… It initially started with a shirred bodice but the weight of the skirt was too much for it to bear.
- Fabric: a medium-weight cotton poplin from Amothreads. I would have preferred something more lightweight but finding a wide selection of colours at a reasonable price was a bit of a challenge – this one is only £3.75/m, perfect for an experimental dress.
- Size and fit: I cut a size 38 based on my bust measurement and the fit was perfect. But I wanted a more adjusted silhouette than that of the pattern, which I find too large at the starting point of the skirt. So I took some fabric off from the front panels to make the dress more adjusted at the underbust point (if there is such a word) and it worked wonders.
- Changes I made to the pattern: fit adjustment to the bodice; and different skirt.
- What I like in this pattern: I really enjoyed sewing the bodice of the Semis dress, so much so that there is another Semis dress in this Resort Collection (scroll down).The pattern is very straightforward and perfectly designed, the fit is impressively good with so few pattern pieces, and I adore the frilly straps. Not dislikes.
- Love factor: I am a bit disappointed by this dress, as the colours I chose are not bright enough to my liking. I also find there is still quite a lot of pulling on the bodice, maybe a boned bodice would be more appropriate for such a heavy skirt. And all these gathers are a nightmare to iron!! But it is quite original and I am sure I will wear it very happily.
To be continued…
This article is the first of a series, showing you my red dresses! White and blue will follow shortly so stay tuned.
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