Simplicity Dress!
...Simplicity Dress!
Hello friends!
Hope you're all having a lovely week so far, I've got 3 days off in a row this week which is nice, so I'm trying to use those wisely and be the most productive I can be! Including, this week and next week's blog makes! On with this week!
I chose this adorable pattern from Simplicity, and what I love about this is that it's for a pair of leggings, a couple different tops and dresses! Today I'm making the dress, but I'm definitely going to give the leggings a go at some point! I'm using this fab Tilly and the Buttons jersey print we supply in the shop, I've been looking at it for a while and wanting to make a dress out of it, and now I am!
Everything you'll need is listed on the back of the envelope, but summed up it's the amount of jersey for your size, enough elastic to go around your waist plus 1", a ballpoint needle and the proper coloured thread.
Now, having looked at the pattern, I decided on a couple changes and additions I wanted to make. Originally, the dress had a high/low hem (see the picture below), something I'm not the biggest fan of, so instead of cutting a front and back skirt panel, I cut 2 of the longer back panels, to make it more of a midi dress. I also wanted to add some patch pockets, so see how I did that later on in the post.
I've recently bought a new rotary cutter, so took this opportunity to test it out, trying to put the blade cover down was a bit difficult and in the process, I cut my thumb...
Luckily, I'm not back on a shift until Friday, so hopefully, I won't get that stinging in a cut from alcohol gel!
Once I finally finished cutting the pieces out, with no more injuries, I began to work my way through the instructions provided in the pack. One piece of the dress I hadn't done before was a knit neckline. With a little help from my mum to begin with, it was a fairly easy process and I'm really happy with how it turned out, especially since it was the first time me doing something in that style.
Carrying on through the instructions, this dress really comes together quickly, the only negative I'd give to this design is the sheer amount of fabric for the skirt! I'm sure this is just due to the In my size, I'd estimate around 3m circumference! If I were to make this dress again, I'd probably choose a smaller skirt size, as it definitely wouldn't effect the fit at all. Look at all these pins! 
Once this was all sewn together, I did a quick try on to see how it was looking so far. As you can see, it's a bit tent-y without the elastic, so clearly, that's what I did next!
I'll admit, I deviated a little from the instructions, as I had different elastic than specified. I achieved the intended look though. Next I worked out where I was going to add my patch pockets. Just by folding the dress in half longways, I eyeballed the middle of each front half (if that makes sense?). The pockets were very easy, see the image below, I just made sure I had a big enough hem along the top that didn't show when you used the pocket and around the other 3 edges.
And before I knew it, the dress was complete! I took it for a whirl this afternoon when me and mum went for a little walk and I'm happy to report that I got a couple compliments!
I can definitely see this becoming a firm favourite of mine, you know how you wear the same clothes all the time!
As always, have a lovely rest of your week, and let me know if you've tried this pattern before, or have been inspired to and I'd love to see your results!
