Dog Dress 2 (By Hand London Kim Dress)

Dog Dress 2 (By Hand London Kim Dress)

Meet Albus!
Meet Albus!

If you follow me at all, you know I’m obsessed with dogs, and especially my own, super handsome furry friends. The moment I saw this fabric online, there was no chance I was passing it up! It’s dogs in fucking bow ties, people, everyone needs this fabric! That said, it’s quilting cotton, albeit a lightweight cotton, so it’s not the most luxurious of fabrics…

Picture taking is 100% more fun when dogs are involved.
Picture taking is 100% more fun when dogs are involved.

While I love this print, I really didn’t want to do a full dress with it. I think it would be a bit overwhelming, and I like to use fabric with a teensy bit of give for bust areas. I have several yards of black stretch sateen laying around for my Halloween costume, so I opted to borrow a little from that. In my mind, the sheen would help keep the dress from looking like it was made from curtains, but still keep the focus on the cutesy print.

Yes, there is dog hair on the bodice.  Deal with it.
Yes, there is dog hair on the bodice. Deal with it.

Keeping with that train of thought, I wanted to use a fairly simple pattern. It took me awhile to finally decide, but I settled on the By Hand London Kim dress. I’ve made it before, and really like the look of it. That said…last time I really struggled with the fabric. It wrinkled like mad, and just really did not press well. As a result, it just looks kinda sloppy, all the time. Frustrating, ya know? This effort was much better, with sateen and quilting cotton being some of the easiest fabrics to press. For this version, I shortened the straps a bit (could have shortened them more!), and didn’t take the bodice in. Previously, I had taken it in a bit, and I kinda wish I had again. I like a tight bodice, and I shouldn’t give into pressure to do things any other way! Lesson learned.

I know you can barely see the dress here, but come on. HE'S SO HANDSOME
I know you can barely see the dress here, but come on. HE’S SO HANDSOME

For the skirt, I went with a modified version of variation 2. I cut the pieces as instructed, but went with pleats instead of gathers, as is my preference. Just like with my last skirt, I used the bodice and my cutting mat grid as a guide. This time, my pleats are four squares (inches), with two inches separating them. No reasoning for that, just what I felt like doing, folks. I also added pockets, again using markings on the selvage as a guide. I know I should cut off the selvage, but…I like it.

Pleats! Also...I really should have put a red bowtie on Albus. Derp.
Pleats! Also…I really should have put a red bowtie on Albus. Derp.

I finished the zip right before photos, and totally didn’t realize how wonky it is. When I fix that, I will definitely tighten up the bodice a bit!! Also, I find that my shoulders always look wide in blog photos, but according to my measurements and the way every top has ever fit me, I don’t have even slightly wide shoulders. Has anyone else experienced this? How do you rectify it? Am I just standing weird again? HELP ME!!

Seriously, my shoulders are not this wide.
Seriously, my shoulders are not this wide.

Overall, I really like this dress. I know I say that in nearly every post, but I mean it. Plus, I’ve found that the By Hand London dress block fits my shape best, within minimal alterations. Perfect, right? If I can get by with wearing dog faces on my clothes at work, this will go into the weekly rotation, and I can’t think of higher praise than that! I’ll leave you with one more picture, because I have actual decent photos again. Happy sewing πŸ™‚

Sex eyes.
Sex eyes.

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