I’m nearly done all the dresses for my uncle’s wedding, which is six days from today (August 25!). I had the final fitting for the final bridesmaid dress today, and had to cut ten inches off the hem and change the armhole shape a bit. I’ll get to those alterations in the next couple days. But the sixth dress I made is not a bridesmaid dress. This one is for my mum to wear as a guest at the wedding, which will take place on a farm. Mum picked out the fabric and the pattern, and I sewed it after finishing what I could on the last bridesmaid dress.
The pattern is the Aubépine dress by Deer & Doe, and the fabric is a lightweight floral cotton chambray from Fabricville. I lined it with a white cotton voile, and am very happy with how it turned out! The fabric is so soft and I like the drape a lot. I’ve made this pattern a couple of times for myself, and it worked out that the first time I made it was actually a bit too big for me so I had a size 40 already made up that Mum could try on. It’s nice to make something knowing ahead of time that it will fit without having to make a muslin.
I like the tuck detail on the bodice and sleeve, and find that it can work even with prints without disrupting things too much visually. I’ve made the long-sleeve version of this dress before, and found that the elastic was too constricting for me. I really don’t like having anything near my hands or constricting my arms, since I do so much with my hands for my job and for my hobbies! A longer sleeve wouldn’t have made much sense for a summer wedding anyway. She plans to wear her jean jacket over the dress as a cover-up, and it was really cute when we tried it out!
The only changes I made to the pattern were that I understitched around the neckline on the lining so that it would roll properly – Deer & Doe has a lot of high-end finishing instructions in their various patterns that I’ve tried, so I’m not sure why they didn’t ask for it in this one. It’s not really a CHANGE, per se, but I think it really helps keep the neckline flat especially after washing and drying it. I wonder if maybe it’s not in the instructions because it’s a bit cumbersome to do when there are essentially two dresses attached together at the neckline that you have to manage in the sewing machine. Either way, I highly recommend taking the few minutes to do it. The other thing that I changed is that the pattern tells you to use a ribbon for the drawstring, and when I’ve made it in the past I found using ribbon was really slippery and didn’t stay tied very well. So I substituted a self-string, which I made by cutting a long strip of the fabric and then folding it in half, folding each raw edge into the centre, and then top-stitching it closed along the side of the folded edges. I find it has better friction to stay tied and keep the gathers even.
Next weekend is the wedding, and hopefully after that I’ll eventually be able to post the wedding photos including the finished dresses to show you all! I’m excited to have made five bridesmaids dresses and this extra one. It was a huge project, and I’m also glad it will be over after I finish that hem and the other small details on the fifth dress. My next personal project is already underway – I’m making a deep green corduroy Farrow dress, and I’m loving it already!
