A New Dress – Aurora – pattern scissors cloth

I’ve had this dress finished for a week waiting to be hemmed – I am very good at not finishing! But I’m glad I did because I think I really like this dress, it is just a shame winter is round the corner and I won’t get to wear it for a few months. Probably a good thing because I don’t have any suitable shoes to wear with it – what colour shoes do you wear with a summer dress like this – fuschia?!!

It is reasonably plain as I thought the fabric should do the talking. The bodice has a scoop neckline and cap sleeves, and the skirt has front tucks and a back vent:

The fabric is a printed silk/linen that is going to be perfect for summer, as it is very lightweight yet still doesn’t require lining. It is too light to wear now autumn is here, but I plan to make a slip to wear underneath so it is more trans-seasonal. Don’t hold your breath though!

I scored the fabric from Global Fabrics late last year. When I visit I usually spend half an hour (ok, longer than that!) looking around and then go back and grab the rolls I want to purchase. But this time I couldn’t find the roll because another customer had it at the counter – I hadn’t planned on that! I watched impatiently from a distance hoping she wouldn’t buy the rest of the roll, and thankfully I managed to score the last 2.4m!

I piped the waistline as I really like the definition that gives:

Here’s my little secret to ensuring inverted tucks meet perfectly in the middle, without those unsightly gaps – from the wrong side tack the fold lines together from the raw edge to just below the stitching line, and leave the tacking in until the garment is assembled. Here is mine just before the stitches come out:

I tried prickstitching the top of the back vent, rather than topstitching it as I normally do:

It looks really nice and is almost non-detectable on the outside, so is my new favourite method for me-projects!

That’s all to report for this week, I think I’ll move on to something more seasonal now! What’s on your sewing table, and what shoes would you wear with this dress?

~Sherry