Sihanoukville palms and a Lonsdale..

So, being in such a lovely place, having a friend to play photographer (thanks Tara) and having some unblogged me mades in my suitcase means I had the chance to nab some photo's of some older makes that never made the blog...

This tropical number is the Lonsdale Dress - by Sewaholic. I originally made it as a party dress to wear to a friends engagement party last year, and have continued to wear it to any event remotely summery and even out for dinner on a few occassions.

The bodice is self lined, and requires some serious fabric meterage to cover those LONG bodice/neck/back/bow ties... They are fabric eaters, but they are definitely worth it with it being the statement detail of the dress. I used the largest size length for the ties, as I wanted to be able to have a nice big bow! Turning the fabric through for the ties was a completely boring task, and took quite a long time! So I recommend doing this in front of the telly.

The fabric is a printed cotton from spotlight. It has a bit of body to it, and pressed and sewed easily. I would love to try this make in a more drapey fabric, I think the skirt would look fabulous all swishy. The instructions for the pattern were really good - and I can't remember having any issues sewing it up. I did have to take the bodice in quite a bit after trying it on, perhaps 4-5cm? 

I originally made the maxi length of this dress, but lopped it off just below the knee. In the maxi length, with the slight structure and body from the fabric, the dress looked a little bit 90's prom/debutant ball... So the shorter length was a must!

This dress has pockets. Which I love. I think the skirt for the lonsdale dress is very similar to the hollyburn skirt pattern. I have the hollyburn pattern, which I love and have made up a few times now, but if I had of made this up before the hollyburn I probably wouldn't have purchased it and just drafted a waistband! 

Just a little peek for you to see the fabric..

The details:

Pattern: the Lonsdale Dress - by Sewaholic Patterns.

Size: 12 and graded to a 16 at the hips.

Fabric: 3.5m Printed cotton from spotlight.

Alterations: removing 4-5cm from the CB line. I took a wild stab at how to do this. I recommend others google it and don't trust any of my suggestions #cowboysewing.

Cost: I can't remember - it was too long ago!

See also: Rachel, Winnie,  Angela.

happy sewing team.

xx

You are my SUNSHINE :) - Saltspring goodness.

Today's post is all about the SALTSPRING. I know. This dress pattern was huge HIT amid the blogosphere last summer.... and that is when I purchased the pattern and looked on enviously at all the others popping up. It's also when I took the trip down to Joy's fabric in Geelong to meet up with three other gorgeous sewists! That would be Rachel from Boodog and me, Anna from Blogless Anna and Renay from the Long and Winding Bobbin - all three are blogging and sewing geniuses!

The Saltspring is a dress pattern with tie shoulders, elastic gathered waist and two lengths - I can not pass up a maxi, and despite eating a large amount of fabric, went with this option!

The fabric was a lovely light cotton, and easy to sew with, it is so bright it just screams SUMMER. I wore it to work this week, and one of my colleagues felt it was a SUNSHINE dress! 

Turning the shoulder straps through can be a bit fiddly, and I am not too happy with them dangling. For my next version I would definitely make some set in straps so as not to worry with the tying. The skirt is a flattering A-line shape with in-seam pockets, and I love having pockets in a dress! There is a lapped zipper in the back, which I found a bit tricky, with the two layers of fabric from the self lined bodice, and hence is a bit of a mess! The instructions were fantastic, and I'm sure my next zipper will be a little on the neater side...!!

The only other change I would make, besides the straps, for my next version, would be to add a few cm's to the hem. Prior to hemming, I popped the dress on, and it was sitting at allllmost the right length. I simply overlocked and turned once, to maintain as much length as possible. But this makes it the perfect dress to wear with a pair of haviana's!

What is on your sewing table this week? I am gearing up to tackle the finlayson sweater by thread theory in time for my Dad's birthday in January.

Merry Christmas xx