A Fluttery Flowery Dress

I made a second Cambie dress! Most of the pictures we took for this post involve strange poses and silly faces, so please bear with me. I take dressmaking seriously. Sometimes.

Since my first version of this pattern went so well, I didn't really waste any time in making a second, more casual one. This Liberty tana lawn has been in my stash since October and I had been a bit scared to cut into it, since it was definitely one of the fancier fabrics I owned!

It turned out ok!

I completely understand why everyone raves about this stuff. It is BEAUTIFUL. The print quality is perfect, it's soft and extremely easy to sew and drapes very well. This dress is seriously comfortable!

I added about 1,5 cm to the back seam of the dress, since the first one was a bit on the tight side and I wanted to be able to wear this in the summer. This solved the problem entirely, although I might take some out of the neck again for the next one (because hell yes there will be a next one).

Twirly!

Another thing I did was use a different skirt. The pattern has a simple gathered skirt (two rectangles) which I love for prints with a clear horizontal or vertical direction, but I prefer something a bit twirlier for prints like these! I used the skirt from the Colette Chantilly dress, which makes for a massive hem with it's six gores (it took three yards of bias tape to finish it!). I love how this skirt makes the fabric even swishier. Finishing a hem with a bias facing might just be my new favourite method, by the way. It makes for a very even hem with a nice drape. I stitch the bias tape on the right side of the skirt, lining the edge up with the edge of the fabric, flip it to the inside, press and handstitch the other edge to the skirt with an invisible hem stitch.

Massive hem!

I stuck to the pattern for the rest of the dress, opting not to line the skirt part of the dress. I wanted this to be a very light summery dress to wear on hot days! If I want more volume in the skirt I'll probably add a petticoat or something.

I really love how this bodice looks. The sleeve construction is quite brilliant, you feel like you are wearing sleeves, but with the comfort of a sleeveless dress. I lined the bodice in a lightweight white cotton.

Here are some action shots, with my dog making an appearance in one of them. I was so happy about the weather getting nice but it went back to cold and rainy in no time.

I feel very comfortable in this dress, and see it becoming a summer staple real quick! Keep your eyes peeled for more Cambies in the near future... For now I will leave you with some kitty cuteness:

(Since my dog got a place in this post I thought it would only be fair to put my other little buddy in there too. This is Jakkepoes, and he's turning fourteen years old tomorrow! This picture makes it look like he doesn't really want to be cuddled, but the opposite is quite true.)