I have finally gotten around to writing a post about my first dress! Hurrah! I only finished it, like, 6 weeks ago!

I decided to make this dress because a load of sewing bloggers I follow have made it and they all said it was a fairly easy pattern to put together. I especially liked the versions by Tilly and the Buttons and But it can’t be from Dolly Clackett. She gave me an Easter egg!  I made view E with the sleeves and cuffs.

I  used this fabric which I bought in Holloway Road a little while ago:

I had to make a few changed to the pattern to make it vaguely fit me. I cut out a size 10, because my measurements indicated that was the best size, but if I made this again, I would make a size 8.  I had to take so much off the side seams that it was a bit silly! I also shortened the body by 6cm and the waist and hip measurements were both about that much lower than they should have been. Because of all this and working out where the darts should go, I did make a muslin/ toile:

As you can see, I only made the top part (as I was low on fabric) and it seemed to fit. Unfortunately, I didn’t pin it or fasten it in any way at the back so it ended up being bigger than I thought in the finished dress, though as I said, I just took about 2cm out of the side seams.  I had to sew this a couple of times as it kept bunching up where I’d sewed too steep a curve:

After wearing the dress once, with a cardigan, I decided I didn’t like the cuffs so I unpicked them and took the sleeves up by 8cm to make it more short-sleeved. I feel like this fabric is a bit too Summery for a long-sleeved dress. I think the only other change I made was to make the skirt a bit more A-line as, like Tilly and the Buttons, I thought it would make it more wearable.

Anyway, enough rambling, here are some pics:

(Sorry if they’re slightly blurry – The Boyfriend was very patient with all my demands!)

A close up of the new sleeves – unintentional boob shot!

This is the back. I know the zip is really obvious, but I’m claiming it as a design feature. It’s not because I didn’t understand how to put it in so it was hidden…..oh no!

This is the inside. I slip-stitched down the facing as it wouldn’t sit flat. Is this something everyone does anyway?

And a goofy smile (and blurry face) to finish with:

Overall I think this was a good pattern as a first one (first in a long time if not first ever) and I’m pleased with how I got it to fit nicely. I’m not sure how much I’ll wear it as I slightly fell out of love with the fabric as I sewed it, and it looks kind of silver and shiny from a distance. Maybe when I finally finish knitting my red cardigan, I’ll wear it with that……