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A light pink linen Dahlia

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I didn’t mean to be gone so long! I think I lost a bit of momentum after making my maid of honour dress because it was such an intense project and it wasn’t something I chose to make myself. I made a few things here and there for other people, but in general I think I was battling the winter blues and loss of my sew-jo.

But Me-Made-May and the Indie pattern challenges going on over at the Monthly Stitch have inspired me again. That, and the beautiful spring weather we’ve been having. It’s been rather mild and not too much rain here in Holland.

Today I’m sharing the Dahlia dress from Colette patterns with you today. It’s described as being a perfect wardrobe staple that will transition through the seasons. I fell in love with the pattern as soon as I saw it in my inbox. I bought it right then and there! It just looked easy to make and has so many special gathered details that really seem to be flattering. I printed it out and traced it quite soon after I bought it, but I wasn’t sure what fabric to use at first.

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Then I had this trip coming up to visit my family in Canada (back in April) and I thought it was a perfect time to dive back into sewing. Yay! New dress! But when you’ve been out of it for a while, it can take a little bit to get back into it. I found that I was slow and clumsy and I wasn’t able to finish before I left. Mind you, I always seem to take on large projects when I want something new last-minute. Not that this dress is super-complicated to make, but it has quite a few pieces (11 in total) and a lot of little bits of gathering, so it just takes time.

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I love so many things about this dress, but I don’t think this is a great first try. When I traced the pattern, I traced the size I usually do with this brand. I also pre-emptively lengthened the bodice (by 2.5cm I think) so that the bottom of the waistband falls on my waist. These were two big mistakes on my part. First, because I didn’t really realise I had lost quite a bit of weight since I last measured myself. And second, I think that I shouldn’t have lengthened the bodice. I’m not sure yet how I feel about it. What do you think? I hope to make it again, and I plan on cutting out a smaller size and leaving the bodice as-is. Oh, and I had to change one more thing, which was adding pleats to the shoulders. Otherwise, it would have been completely unwearable.

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Oh man was it ever hot today! It was 34 degrees in the shade in our yard. I have been drinking a LOT of iced tea. This dress is actually great for this weather. The fabric I chose was a dusty rose linen. The thing I love about linen is it’s a perfect summer fabric. It is so incredibly breathable. This is from my 10 year old stash (from when I was working at a fabric store). I originally earmarked it for a suit, but yeah, that was a long time ago.  Those who sew and wear linen know that it does have a downside – it wrinkles like crazy! I just chalk it up to the charm of the fabric.

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What I am most proud of is the invisible zipper I inserted. Can you see it? because I can’t! I also loved using my new bias tape maker, although linen is a little bit thick for making the small bias tape. The other thing I love about this dress is the sleeves! I didn’t really participate in me-made-may mainly for this reason. My closet is full of sleeveless summery dresses, but no dresses with sleeves. The weather wasn’t really warm enough to wear dresses like that. So I definitely have to add dresses with short sleeves to my list of things to sew. I’m thinking maybe a Sigma dress by Papercut patterns.

What is your next sewing project? Have you found a gap in your me-made wardrobe?

Thanks for stopping by!

Linen is a strange creature indeed

Hello everyone! Dag iedereen!

 

In the midst of my busy May month, I put together this dress. It’s quite lovely, no? I started cutting the fabric before I left for Italy to meet up with my parents, actually wanting to make it before I left, but I of course had to choose a dress with a million pieces, so yeah, that did not happen.

In het midden van een drukke mei vakantie, ik heb deze jurk genaaid. Het is heel mooi, vindt je niet? Ik begon met uitsnijden voordat ik vertrok naar Italië om mijn ouders te ontmoeten. Eigenlijk wou ik hem naaien voordat ik vertrok, maar ik moest natuurlijk een ​​jurk kiezen met een miljoen stuks, dus ja, het is niet gebeurd.

Colette Parfait Dress

I had made a wearable muslin last year, but never blogged about it because I didn’t think it was too spectacular. I made it from white and black fabric, therefore see-through, so instead of using the facing, which is how the pattern is designed, I decided to make a lining. I just cut out all of the pieces in both fabric and lining, then attached it like you would a facing. It turned out pretty well. The bodice had a little bit gaping on the sides and back, but nothing too noticeable. I made sure to take 1cm out of the sides for this make.

Ik had een proef jurk vorig jaar gemaakt, maar nooit geblogd omdat het niet erg spectaculair is. Ik heb het gemaakt van wit en zwart stof, dus een beetje doorzichtig. In plaats van het gebruik van de facing, dat is hoe het patroon is ontworpen, heb ik besloten om een voering te maken. Ik knipte alle stukken in zowel stof als voering, en heb de voering als facing latten inzetten. Het ging vrij goed. Het bovenlijf zit een beetje los aan de zijkanten en achterkant, maar niets te opvallend. Ik zorgde ervoor dat ik 1 cm uit de zijkanten van dit jurk had uitgeknipt.

Colette Parfait Dress

For this one, I followed all instructions. My only regret is that I used a regular zipper instead of an invisible zipper. However, this dress was made completely from items in my stash, which I’m quite proud of. I am also not completely crazy about the fit. Despite the gaping, I feel like the muslin fits better. This one still gapes in the back a bit, but I also find the bodice front looks a bit ‘droopy’ across my bust. I’ve seen a lot of versions of this dress and in all of them, the bust fits quite tightly. I’m just going to attribute it to the fabric, as linen is a strange creature indeed.

Ik heb netjes alle instructies gevolgd. Mijn enige spijt is dat ik een normale rits in plaats van een onzichtbare rits heb gebruikt. Echter, werd deze jurk volledig gemaakt van items in mijn stash, waar ik best trots op ben. Ik ben ook niet helemaal gek over de pasvorm. Ik voel wel een beetje dat de muslin beter past. Deze jurk gaapt ook in de rug een klein beetje, en ik vind ook de voorkant ziet er een beetje ‘hangende’ over mijn borsten. Ik heb heel wat versies van deze jurk gezien en in alle van hen, paste de voorkant mooi strak. Ik ga gewoon aan het toeschrijven aan de stof, zoals linnen is inderdaad een vreemd wezen.

Colette Parfait Dress

This was my first time working with linen. I can’t help but think it’s a strange material to work with. It’s kind of flowy like chiffon, but doesn’t slip while you sew. It’s also a bugger to cut out because it doesn’t want to lay straight on-grain.

Dit was mijn eerste keer werken met linnen. Ik vind het een heel vreemd materiaal om mee te werken. Het is bijna chiffon-achtig, maar niet wegglijdt terwijl u naait. Het is ook een donder uit te snijden, omdat het niet aan de rechtdoor-graan wil leggen.

Colette Parfait Dress

You would think with all of my moaning about the fit that I don’t like this dress, but I really do like it. Besides it being comfortable and light for summer, I really love the print! The colours are just perfect for my complexion. I’m just a tiny bit sad that the colours bled so much when I did the pre-wash. The light purple parts used to be white, btw. But it’s so important to pre-wash linen because it shrinks like crazy. Both ways! And I don’t like to risk pre-washing my fabrics in cold water in case they accidentally end up in a warm or hot wash in the future, you know.

Je zou denken dat met al mijn klachten over de pasvorm dat ik niet van deze jurk hou, maar ik vind het heel leuk eigenlijk. Naast het feit dat het comfortabel en licht voor de zomer is, ik hou echt van de print! De kleuren zijn gewoon perfect voor mijn huidkleur. Ik vind het een klein beetje jammer dat de kleuren bloedde zo veel als ik de voorwas deed. De lichtpaarse onderdelen waren eerst wit. Maar het is zo belangrijk om linnen voor te wassen omdat het krimpt als een gek. Van beide kanten! En ik neem de risico niet om mijn stoffen in koud water te wassen voor het geval dat ze per ongeluk in een warme of hete wassen in de toekomst komen, weet je wel.

Colette Parfait Dress

I entered this dress into a competition over at The Monthly Stitch, so if you have a moment, please drop by and vote for my dress “Simply Parfait.” Thank you!

Ik doe mee aan een wedstrijd over bij The Monthly Stitch, dus als je een moment hebt, kom langs en ​​stem voor mijn jurk “Simply Parfait.” Alvast bedankt!

 

And finally, I shall leave you with one of the silliest outtakes from this photoshoot, which was done by Mr. Livana. (Believe me, there were more than just this one…)

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