Still in catch-up mode, there are three polka dot dresses in this post, one of which I actually made last year and realise I haven't got around to blogging about it. The other two I made this summer.
So, I'll start with the one that's been unblogged for the longest. The pattern I used is
Butterick 5603, one of their retro reprints. It started life with a contrast bodice - white polka dots on green - which took me ages to cut out because the fabric had so many flaws in it. I'm not sure that they would have been immediately obvious to anyone else, but I could see them and therefore had to cut around them. Once I'd made up the skirt and attached it to the bodice I decided I didn't like the overall look and so cut out another bodice in the same fabric as the skirt. Now, about the fabric... it was cheap; a polycotton which I bought on Goldhawk Road because I liked the idea of a dress with green polka dots on it. However, after sewing it up I realised that polycotton polka dots were not for me. The fabric frayed quite badly and is very thin, so not only is the bodice lined, the skirt is too. This meant that there were several layers of fabric at the side seams - albeit thin layers. And that, together with having to remake the bodice because I didn't like the first version, meant that by the time I'd finished sewing it, I was glad to see the back of it.
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| Butterick 5603 Green polka dot dress |
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I've only worn this a couple of times since I made it, which is a shame because it is a pretty dress. I will make up this pattern again because I really like the skirt, but I'll use the bateau neckline V-back version of the bodice next time - I didn't really enjoy sewing this cross-over version.
The next two dresses were much happier sewing experiences. The first one is made from some cotton I got in Fabricland because I absolutely loved the colour and which was a pleasure to sew with. I can't remember where I came across this pattern (Simplicity 3774) because it is out of print - probably on someone's blog, although I can't remember whose. But it is one of several patterns I've bought in my quest to find the perfect pattern to make something similar to the Vanity Project tea dress that I blogged about
here.
I'm really pleased with how this turned out and will be making more from this pattern, it was a good buy and an easy sew.
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| Teal polka dot Simplicity 3774 |
And the third dress for this post is a
Butterick 5748, another retro reprint. I absolutely love this pattern, this is the third one I've made, although only the second with the full circle skirt that comes with the pattern. I cut this a size smaller than the first two I made which I had to fiddle about with to improve the fit. The fabric is a lovely cotton which I bought from Minerva last summer. The only downer about making this dress was that there was a lot of fabric in the skirt, and the skirt was fully lined, and I made this in July when it was really rather hot by English standards. Having a lot of fabric piled on my lap while I was sewing wasn't the most comfortable of experiences, but clearly it wasn't bad enough to put me off because I made another two dresses this summer with fully lined skirts... which will be for another blog post.
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| Butterick 5748 Blue polka dot dress |
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