Lemon Dress Part II (Sewaholic Lonsdale)

Lemon Dress Part II (Sewaholic Lonsdale)

The sun was in my eyes for all of these, so weird faces are imminent.

Every year at the beginning of spring, I break out my summer dresses and wonder why I haven’t made more from each pattern. Such was the case when I wore my Octopus dress a few weeks ago. The pattern is Sewaholic Lonsdale and my oh my is it amazing. My previous version was in an AMAZING lawn from Cotton & Steel, I’m obsessed with it. The fabric is so soft and feels wonderful, the pattern is super flattering and comfortable. I forgo the strapless bra about half the time with this one, ladies you KNOW that’s an achievement.

Legit almost fell down right after this photo.

So obviously I knew I wanted more of these in my closet. This year I’m all about light, easy summer dresses, see Instagram for further evidence of this growing problem! The problem with wanting an army of lovely summer dresses is that you have to find lovely summer dress fabric. I’ve currently put a halt on my fabric buying, my stash is out of control, so I had to rely on what I have. Thanking my past self, I found this lovely lemon fabric deep in the hoard. It’s the last bit of yardage that remained at my local Joann’s, sadly it’s discontinued. Trust me when I say sadly, I legitamately mourned this fabric. It’s a lovely sateen, much lighter than other sateens. I sewed up a strapless dress in it last summer, and it’s still one of my favorite makes.

Shadow face

The pattern is fairly simple to construct, the instructions are clear and well written. There is a sew along that comes in handy during the trickier parts, like the upper front bodice sections. Tasia, wherever you are, you are brilliant. I always find her patterns so easy to follow and sew alongs so helpful! Anyway, I digress…

Tied the back too tight, loops look weird. Oops.

For this pattern, I cut a size 10. Though Sewaholic patterns are drafted for a pear shape and I’m an hourglass, this dress isn’t fitted through the hips so I didn’t fuss with alterations there. I do find the skirt to be much too long for me, so I did a very lazy alteration there. I cut the skirt length to the smallest size, and did a 1 1/2 inch hem. Also, this pattern is a serious fabric hog, calling for 4 1/2 yards. I didn’t have that, so I cut on a single layer to save fabric. I still came up a little short on fabric though, so the straps are a few inches shorter than drafted.

Those shoes though

I am so stoked to have another Lonsdale in my closet! I hated to use up the last of my beloved lemon fabric, but I think it was worth it. What about you, are you in summer sewing mode yet?

An Unpopular Pattern (By Hand London Sabrina)

An Unpopular Pattern (By Hand London Sabrina)

Pretend you don't see a remote
Pretend you don’t see a remote

I rarely ever research a pattern before I buy it. I know a lot of sewists do, and perhaps I should, but I don’t. So when I saw the Sabrina dress from BHL, I snapped it up without a second thought. I’d been searching for the perfect pattern to use with Gertie fabric, and this gave me beautiful 90’s nostalgia. So imagine my surprise when I finally searched and found almost no reviews…

No, the back isn't uneven, I'm just standing weird again.
No, the back isn’t uneven, I’m just standing weird again.

What’s with the hate, sewists? The pattern is fairly straightforward, alterations are easy. In this rayon, it’s light and breezy, perfect for summer. Putting it on, I immediately wanted Dr. Pepper lip smacker lip balm, glittery eyeshadow, and platform shoes. I wanted to sit in an inflatable chair and watch Friends. How could any of that be so bad? Is it the buttons? I’ll admit, when I saw the pattern call for 30 buttons, it seemed a bit daunting. In reality, though, I could only fit 14 on the dress, and my buttons were pretty small. What gives, folks?

Forever awkward.
Forever awkward.

To be fair, I did make some slight alterations. Once the dress body was assembled, the dress gaped too much under the arms. To remedy, I just made a dart at the top of the side seam, if that makes sense. I added pockets, albeit too low pockets. It’s a fairly common mistake for me, but sometimes I place my pockets at the most comfortable place. I have fairly long arms, so this is rarely flattering, they should really be several inches higher. I also omitted the facings, because I hate facings and I try to take them out whenever possible. I’m not a big fan of creating thin straps, either, so those had to go as well. I lieu of the facings and straps, I have thin bias tape. I bound the neckline seams with bias, and extended it up to create straps. Quick, easy, and it didn’t cause me to lose my temper. Win win.

A bit closer up.
A bit closer up.

The placket was the only thing that really threw me for me a loop here. I’ve never sewn a placket without using interfacing, and this dress calls for none. I wasn’t really sure how well my machine would handle buttonholes on uninterfaced flimsy fabric, but it went flawlessly. I think I will probably nip the waist in a bit more, but overall, it’s a great, comfortable dress. It’s been oppressively hot and humid in Ohio lately, but I stayed as cool as possible all day in this. Really, you guys, what gives??

The Lemon Dress (Gertie mashup dress)

The Lemon Dress (Gertie mashup dress)

I'm a hungover or trying to look cool? You decide.
I’m a hungover or trying to look cool? You decide.

In my last post, you got to meet Albus, the most handsome of gentleman. Today, you get to meet Lily Rose, my pretty yet cranky lady dog. Actually, you’ve seen Lily before, but it’s been awhile, so I felt reintroductions were necessary. Have you ever seen two dogs this photogenic? No, no you have not.

All my favorite pictures of me headless.
All my favorite pictures of me headless.

So the dress. This dress is the Gertie-est of Gertie dresses. The fabric is from her line at Joann’s, and the pattern is a mashup from her latest book. It’s common knowledge that I have a thing about sateens, and what can I say, her patterns just call to me.  

Lily approves of the dress, my snuggles, not so much.
Lily approves of the dress, my snuggles, not so much.

This dress came together in about 6 sleepy after work hours, though I had already made a quick muslin of the bodice. Being entirely honest, I didn’t follow the directions at all. I didn’t consciously decide to do this, just sort of started sewing, only realizing after that I hadn’t read any instructions. For the bodice (the strapless sweetheart), I added boning on all the seams of the lining, cutting them short in the boob area, to allow for cups. I should have added an additional piece according to the instructions, which I’m sure would have added more stability! For the cups, I did something truly white trash…I snipped the band off an old strapless bra and used the cups in the dress. Using the under wire as a guide, I sewed them to the lining also. In addition, I used horsehair braid around the top edge of the bodice, to help it hold it’s shape. To do that, I just stitched the bottom edge of the horsehair to the lining, and then understitched it along the top. I know that sounds like a lot, but as a strapless dress, I really wanted it to be solid.

See?  Holding it's own.
See? Holding it’s own.

The skirt was really fairly straightforward. It’s the three-quarter circle skirt, with the only modification I made being the addition of side seam pockets, because that’s what I do. I cut a straight 6 for this entire dress, which is my RTW size, also. The fit was pretty spot on, the only change I would make next time would be to shorten the skirt a bit. I just really don’t like below the knee skirts on me, but somehow, I always forget about this when cutting fabric. Makes me a bit of a dumbass, but at least it’s an easy fix.

Kind of an awkward length for me, don't ya think?
Kind of an awkward length for me, don’t ya think?

The only major issue I had with this dress is entirely my own fault. Sewists, you should never rush an invisible zipper at 10:30pm, when your normal bedtime is 9:00. The zipper on this dress is FAR from invisible, and is for sure going to have to be redone. I always struggle with zippers, and I’m afraid this time was no exception. It really wouldn’t kill me to practice a bit.

I didn't even zip it all the way up!!  Or make sure my dress wasn't on crooked.  Blargh.
I didn’t even zip it all the way up!! Or make sure my dress wasn’t on crooked. Blargh.

Zippers aside, I’m really proud of this dress. That’s a lot of structural work for a six hour dress!!! Beyond that, the fabric is just fabulous. I feel like the dress belongs on the beach somewhere, with a pitcher of overly garnished margaritas. I do think I’ll wear it a lot, you’ll definitely be seeing it again during Me-Made-May. Let this serve as my declaration that ‘I, Ashley of Sewn by Ashley, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May ’16. I endeavour to wear one me-made item each day for the duration of May 2016’.

Woohoo!!!  Thanks, Zoe!
Woohoo!!! Thanks, Zoe!

Fellow sewist, I can’t wait to see what you make and how the challenge inspires you! For my part, I’m hoping it gets to mend or alter some of old makes, and get those suckers worn! You will be able to see daily posts about it on my Instagram, I’ll also be doing a weekly round up here. I hope I don’t bore everyone too much!! I’ll leave you with a few more photos, happy sewing 🙂

Strapless win
Strapless win
Lily and headless-me will see you soon!
Lily and headless-me will see you soon!