Best dress ever part II…

So remember this dress

Last year I called it the best dress ever. So I tried it on a few days ago, and decided it was now just that bit too short. I think having made the Maxi dress, this one feels short, and I like the way a longer dress looks now.

I still had about 2m left of this fabric, so I made the decision to add another tier.

Its a slightly different colour, as it fades with washing, and the dress has been washed quite a bit already. I think it works though. I also did the sewing of the seams with wrong sides together again so the seam is on the outside. I like the extra detail it gives.

Very happy with it and have worn it already. I felt good in it. I love that I can alter garments to make them suit me, as I change my mind about things.

A maxi dress…

I love this dress, and have been planning it in my head for ages. I’ve just been too nervous to actually make it after my recent disappointments. The fabric I’ve had since August, its a beautiful cotton poplin from Fabric Godmother. And I’ve been looking at it and wondering what to make. And when this idea popped into my head I just knew that I had to make it. after the alteration to my Trapeze dress I made last week I decided I was ready for this.

I got 3metres of this fabric, now normally I try to get 2 garments out of this much fabric. Thinking it makes more economical sense, but this time I just thought F*^@k it! Use it all on one garment.

So this is a Trapeze/marshmallow combination. Trapeze on the top with a marshmallow bottom. Oh and an extra tier for length. Very happy with it, really really am.

Lots of pics to follow…

Lovely neck line.

Sewed the tiers wrong sides together, to get the ruffle detail.

I can’t wait to wear this in the warmer weather! If we get any…  Feels amazing on.

A small detail…

Really can make all the difference.

I made another Trapeze dress back in March. Having made so many already I just assumed I would love it. The fabric was gorgeous, I’d used some previously for this top

The fabric feels wonderful against the skin, and is lovely to work with. And I was excited to make it up in a Trapeze dress.

So I was really bummed when I finished it, tried it on and was oh so underwhelmed. I did not like it. Couldn’t for the life of me work out why? At first  I thought it might be the sleeve length, I’d made short sleeves, but thought perhaps they could be shorter. So I shortened them by about 2cm. Hmmm was a little better, but still did’t want to wear it.

I left it in the wardrobe for a while.  Then thought I might be mistaken, tried it on again, fully prepared to wear it. But NO! It just looked plain and frumpy.

I put it back on Gertie so I could sit and look at it and decide what I might do, if anything. Contemplated shortening it into a top, or maybe just taking a few inches off to make into more of a tunic.

And then it hit me! I’d turn it up, but not cut anything off and make a sort of hem detail. Have done it once before by mistake, which I ended up loving, here…

I had nothing to lose, didn’t like the dress as it was. And if didn’t work I could unpick or cut it off anyway.

Happily it worked out perfectly and I now love it! Just this one small detail has made so much difference. I can’t believe it.

Unfortunately I was so uninspired by the original version that I didn’t take any pics for comparison, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

I’m so happy I was able to resolve this. I loved the fabric and was upset that I might have wasted it. And it also really affected my confidence. I kept looking at my lovely fabric stash and feeling so nervous about making anything, in case I didn’t like it. On the same day I did this alteration, I started on a new project. And thats for another post…