Sewaholic Cambie Dress View B

Once again, I apologise for the truly awful photos.  This dress really deserves better, but the weather here in the UK (again) couldn't be greyer or murkier with rain, and it's here to stay for the whole weekend.  It's not even as if we desperately need it any more (we could hardly complain when it rained non-stop for seven weeks in April and May, when the water was so scarce the reservoirs were drying up).  But now the hosepipe ban has been lifted I can complain all I like!

Anyway, sorry about the photos being murky.  I lightened them but my ISO has made them grainy.  And I need to learn how to position photos horizontally instead of just plonking them somewhere.

Before starting on the full-skirted version of this dress, I had half made an A-line version.  "Half made" because I have made the outer shell and attached the zip, but have not yet started on the lining.  I have been procrastinating on this because the lining fabric is patterned and I've discovered the red hearts on it show through the white skulls on the shell.  I'm not sure whether to go ahead with it and am a bit heartbroken about it (well, as much as is acceptable when it comes to a dress, for goodness sake).  I want the dress to have the skulls on the outside and the red hearts on the inside, but my plans may be scuppered.  It's for a Christening (yep, it's the devil in me).

I haven't come to the point yet, have I?  Well, I really like the A-line version and, being 5ft 2 (there, I've mentioned my height yet again) and not having a very narrow waist in the first place, I have avoided dresses with gathers around the waist.  Hip is fine; waist, not.  But in this case I took a chance and made the full-skirted version.  Yay! I love it.  Now I'm worrying about when I will be "too old" to whoosh around in girly dresses, seeing as I've discovered I like them so much.  However, it hasn't stopped Vivienne Westwood, so it won't stop me!  Not that I am anywhere near her age yet, but I'm thinking ahead.

Right.  The details:  I made the dress in a size 4, with a size 6 for the waist.  Incredibly I did not have to alter the bodice length at all (often I shorten them) and really amazingly it fits me across the back (usually I have to take account of my narrow back)  So, apart from the waist size, I made no fit alterations.  I did lower very slightly the v-shape at the top centre-front of the bodice.

The pattern is a pleasure to put together.  You make the shell, you make an almost exact copy for the lining, sew them together, hem, and Bob's your uncle!

I used a Crantex Fabrics vintage floral cotton I got on e-bay.  It has a lot of body, more like a quilting cotton than a lawn.  I also used it for the bodice lining, and a beautiful silky red fabric for the skirt lining.  I almost always get my lining fabrics from Iana Fabrics on e-bay.  They are very good quality, in my opinion.  She has never let me down.  Oh dear, I just bought 2m of black lace whilst copying the link for this post.  Jeez, no wonder I am always poor as a church mouse.

I highly recommend this dress pattern.  Not only is it easy to put together, not only does it seem to suit everyone, but it's really comfortable to wear, too.  I will try to get better photos when the weather is not so gloomy.