An English Summer Party Dress

We were invited to a wedding reception and I decided to make myself a dress to wear which would be suitable for a July evening by the quayside on the South coast,

After my recent spate of more challenging makes I decided on this pattern from Closet Core (formerly Closet Case) as I’ve used their patterns before and find them really good.

I know wrap dresses can sometimes be a pain, gaping at the bust and revealing too much leg but the reviews stressed that this pattern gives you a good overlap so I decided to go for the midi version (which is almost maxi on me- I’m 5’3″) .

I didn’t want to go floral as I have quite a few flowery dresses nor did I fancy geometric so I went for this ‘safari’ fabric which is a bit different and, from a distance, just gives an overall patterned effect on a subtle, vaguely pink background.  It’s a linen/rayon blend so has a very good drape which I think you would need for this pattern.

Here you can see the fabric close up and also the ‘bust release’ gathers which really help with the comfortable wrapover.

This was a very enjoyable, fairly stress free make apart from the cutting out part.  For the midi version with longer kimono type sleeves I think it took somewhere between 3.5 and 4m and the pattern had to be cut on a single layer of fabric which was unusual and a bit of a challenge finding the space to spread it all out.  After that though all was plain sailing.

I added some satin bias binding on the facing inside the bodice.

Here is a headless shot so you can see the actual dress features…

…..and here  a demonstration of the generous overlap of the wrap so you don’t have to worry about revealing anything untoward if the wind gets up

Just as well as the wind did indeed ‘get up’ accompanied by rain bucketing down and, as the venue was literally just across from the marina, it bucketed horizontally too.  I told you it was an English Summer dress.  Luckily we had booked a hotel just a few minutes walk away from the venue which was, thankfully, indoors and not in a marquee which will always be a gamble in England I have to say.

Still, I really like this dress and would like to make it again – my only regret is that I didn’t put pockets in the side seams.  I thought about it and, surely this is a dress that cries out for side pockets (I don’t like the patch ones on the pattern illustration) but thought there might be some reason in the construction for why they hadn’t been added but, now I’ve made it, I don’t think there is so, if I do make it again, there will definitely be pockets.

This Saturday is my daughter’s 30th birthday and she’s having a 1920s themed party.  I toyed with the idea of making a dress but thought about beaded and sequinned fabric and the trauma and dramas which sewing with it would inevitably involve and bought a ‘pre-loved’ one instead.

There are limits.