Butterick 4443: Summer voile dress

 

Its starting to get really hot here and I love a cool cotton dress in the hot weather. I made this pattern last year and really liked it, very comfortable to wear, but this time I wanted a cooler fabric and for it to be shorter.
The fabric is a cotton voile from Spotlight, its vaguely see through so I lined the bodice in a stretch poplin but left the skirt in a single layer. I'll be wearing this around home or as a swimsuit coverup so it doesn't worry me if its a little bit thin.

Same adjustments as last time; size 20 with a 1" FBA and about 4-5" added to the back for shirring

With the shirring,  I don't think I've mentioned it but I always run a 6mm elastic through the very top row to stop it from gaping (I picked it up from a RTW dress I had). I also ran some elastic through the bottom row as well as it was a bit loose when I tried it on.

It was perfect to wear today down at the swimming lake, nice and cool in the heat wave we're having this week and easy to take on and off over bathers!

Butterick 5783: Wrap top

I have a few issues with this pattern.
Firstly; there is no finished garment measurements printed anywhere on the pattern or in the instructions so I flat measured to pick a size. I went with L and the fit is ok so I would say this pattern runs a bit large. I do wish I added some to the arms because I found them a bit tight on me.

Secondly; there is some funkiness going on with the neckline, I think the back neck is drafted too wide which then gapes the neckline quite a bit. I had to take out 2" up at each shoulder seams to get the neckline not gaping. I'm not that keen on the fold over and sew for the neckline finish either, it looks a bit messy and it doesn't really stabilise the neckline at all.

Thirdly: The neckline is quite low, I actually sewed the wrap part closed because otherwise it shows a lot more than I am comfortable showing! It needs a FBA but I couldn't work out how to without rotating out into the neckline which was already too long and gaping (unless it was rotated back into the backwards princess seam at the front?) There are a lot of drag lines at the arms/bust.

Finally: I found the ties slightly too narrow on me so when I crossed them over one side pulls out at the bottom each time.

I do however really like the wide ties and I like the elastic waist because it makes the back sit really nicely. I can't see me wearing this top because of how I feel about the neckline but I do want to modify it into another top or adjust this pattern enough its more wearable. I wonder if it would work better if the ties weren't sewn into the backwards princess seam at the bust and were just sewn into the side seams at the waistline?

Butterick 4443

With the hot weather we've been having lately I've been wearing a simple cotton shirred dress I got ages ago at Kmart - it has a hole in it and is too short but it's the coolest dress I have. So I figured I would make a nice simple dress for hot weather.
I got this cotton satin at the same time I got this and this from the Spotlight clearance table (I do buy fabric elsewhere too, lol, but I can never resist nice fabric marked down to $2 and $3 a metre!)
This a size 20 with a 1" FBA and 4" added to the back for shirring.
My princess seams have been rippling lately at the very top of the seam - I finally figured that while I've been doing a FBA, I haven't been dropping the bust line, so this time I dropped it by about an inch. I still have the rippling, not as bad, so I'm not sure now if it's from the bias edge of the side front panel, or if I need to take it in very slightly at the very top.
I shirred the back again (even though there's heaps of tutorials online, would anyone be interested in how I do it?)


I used the pockets out of S2588


Most of my RTW strapless dresses/tops have a line of elastic around the front to help keep them up, so I sewed a channel and threaded some through - it does make it feel more secure!


I like this pattern - it sewed up so quickly!

I'm wearing this today for an Australia Day BBQ with a cardigan over the top (my Dad doesn't like tattoo's so I cover up when we go around there!) So Happy Australia Day to all the Aussies out there!