Sew It - Spring For Cotton

Eek has it really been three months since my last post, blimey! Well, I had better get on with showing off my Spring for cotton project before it gets too cold to wear it!!

~ 1940s Style Sweetheart Sundress ~
Pattern:

By Hand London's Kim Dress
+ Side Pocket Tutorial - Youtube

Fabric:

2m Custom printed medium weight cotton
1/2 meter White medium weight cotton

Size Made: 

16 UK - With Adjustments

I really enjoyed making this dress, so much so that as soon as I had finished and photographed it, I unpicked it all started again!

Okay, it wasn't actually the love of the pattern that made me do this, even I know that would be bonkers! What actually happened was, I'd finished the dress before the deadline and was super proud of myself, pats herself on back, but I was so keen to finish it that I forgot to check the fit, after my initial pinning stage, and just went full steam ahead into finishing it as soon as I could, so, lo and behold the moment I tried it on, I realised it was way too large in the bust area!

Front Bodice

I always have a bodice fitting issue with sleeveless dresses, I usually have to adjust the straps or bust somewhere along the line, as my bust is proportionally smaller than the standard pattern size for the rest of my torso, but even after the usual adjustments it was still too big; if I'd have left it as it was I would have ended up flashing my undies every time I lent forward, and that was just not the look I was hoping for. So rather than leave it as is I decided to bite the bullet and unpick it all and start from scratch!!

Adjusted bodice

I am glad I did, as I know I would have never worn it otherwise and it's too pretty not to wear. The fabric did struggle a little with all the unpicking, being a printed cotton, there were holes left in the print by the unpicked stitches but as I was taking it in they hardly show as they are mostly hidden in the seam allowance, though around the waistband the are a few rouge ones.

Back View

The pattern was a dream to sew, the most difficult part was the bodice, as there are quite a few pieces to it which give it shape without the need for darts (it's all very clever) and it's lined, that said it was not too tricky, though I seem to have puckered the back seam (see above photo back seam on the right) when under stitching and so it won't press out, I don't know how I managed it but as it's behind me I am not going to worry about it. Also, the concealed zipper has not been quite as well concealed the second time around, but I really don't mind as I rather like the contrast, so I am going to see it as a feature rather than a flaw!

Not so invisible zip and gathered waist

I managed to get the whole dress out of the 2 meters I had, which was quite a squeeze, but as the skirt was gathered I just added less to the width, which worked out rather well as it is quite a stiff fabric the skirt benefited from being a little less full. Also, the mismatching of the pattern which I mentioned in my last post doesn't really notice that much which is what I was hoping for!

I have worn it a few times over the last few months, when the weather permitted, and I have found it great comfy dress to wear, I must confess to always wearing it with a blouse (see my Instagram for the evidence) or cardie over the top, as I have a dislike of showing off my arms especially at work. Oh, I nearly forgot, I added some side seam pockets to the skirt on the second stitching, which are so simple to do and make the world of difference to how much wear it will get, as pockets are soo useful!

Okay, all that is left to do is to give you an awkward (slightly surly) picture of me wearing it, one day I promise I'll get better at having my photo taken!

Wendy x

Spring For Cotton - My Plans

Hello I hope the week is being kind to you so far and that you all had fabulous weekends! I certainly did, I spent mine giving my flat the spring clean of its life and absolutely wearing myself out in the process! It was certainly worth it, though, as there is nothing nicer than having a gleaming house, even if it will only last a few weeks (OK, days)! As well as cleaning like a demon, I even managed to fit in a bit of work on my project for 'Spring For Cotton'.



As you might have guessed, seeing as this is the first time I have mentioned it here, I decided quite late in the game to take part. The decision was really made for me once I received my Kickstarter reward from By Hand London. Along with the gorgeous patterns and other neat stuff, I also got 2m of printed fabric which I got to design!

I knew when By Hand London announced their Kickstarter plans for fabric printing I would have to help them out, as there was a particular design that I had been dreaming of for years. The eagle eyed amongst you may have already spotted where this pattern comes from. Here is a closer look.

Well the design is a little different to the original, I have moved a few things about a little and added some more buttons & pins and changed the background colour, but essentially it's the design from the title pages of and Odhams classic from the 30s, a book many UK based vintage sewers will probably have come across.

The Pictorial Guide to Modern Home Needlecraft 1938,  is one of the first books I bought on ebay when I first figured out how to buy things on ebay, many, many years ago. Once I saw the title pages I was smitten with the design thinking it would make the most wonderful fabric, though it never occurred to me then that I should try to make it myself!

There is a little flaw in my beautiful fabric. I sized my pattern up to make a fat quarter, but sadly when printing, the pattern didn't flow, my error in my naivety at this pattern printing malarkey, so the 2m is essentially made up of slightly misaligned fat quarters, which is irritating, as it restricts the patterns I can choose, but it's not the end of the world as I can work around this to a degree and heck I like a challenge!

So with my 2m of cotton fabric in hand, next it was time to choose a pattern. Initially I though I'd make a simple 50s circle skirt, as I figured that it would hid the flaws in the pattern due to all the swishy fabric. But then the weather got really warm and I remembered how much I love the cotton sun dresses from the 1940s, especially ones with sweetheart necklines (honestly if the shops started selling dresses with sweetheart necklines and peplums I think I would never sew again!), so I went through my pattern stash to see if there was anything suitable.

This 1950's bodice pattern is available for Free Here!
Kindly shared by Miss Dixie O'Dare

Unfortunately nothing quite hit the spot, most needed some serious resizing, and with the ever increasing demands on me at the moment, I just knew I wouldn't be able to find the time to 'toile' away the hours. So I decided to go with vintage inspired rather than true vintage, and turned to one of the patterns I got in my Kickstarter reward, the Kim Dress from By Hand London.

It was only when I slid the pattern out of its outer envelope, that the second option of a dirndl skirted sweetheart neckline dress, was revealed to me! So though it is a thoroughly modern pattern (aaaah, multi-sizing) it's certainly one that has 1940s styling potential. It all seems very simple to make up so far the bodice is all but done and the simple dirndl skirt should mean that I can squeeze the whole dress out of the 2m of fabric that I have, fingers crossed!

Wendy x