Lonsdale Dress in Polka Dots

 A couple of months ago I made a muslin for the Lonsdale dress (see post here). It fit me perfectly and was wonderful to sew. I couldn't wait to finally make it in this Amy Butler Lotus Full Moon in tangerine fabric. I underlined the whole dress and used alternate seam finishing techniques because my serger was in storage when I made this. I call it my "Magnum P.I." dress because I watched copious amounts of that show while working on this project.  

 I really like the narrow waistband, pockets, fuller skirt and longer length. I don't generally go for full skirts or below the knee stuff but I really like it on this dress.

 I have two issues though which are not pattern related. The underlining makes it difficult to tie a nice clean bow that hangs well and the underlining makes the skirt look wrinkled because the two layers cling together. I've read of other people having this issue but it's not a significant enough problem to deter me from wearing the dress.

I've been meaning to get some pictures up for the last few weeks so this morning I went out and tried to get some decent shots BUT I had some technical difficulties so these were the best I could get with the patience I had available.

 

I already have the fabric for a 4th of July version of this pattern which I'll be making soon. The next one won't be underlined and I have my serger back so everything should go faster!



Temporary Sewing 'Room'

 My husband and I recently relocated almost 2,000 miles to Texas (yesterday actually). We are temporarily in corporate housing while we search for a permanent place to stay which means that all of our stuff is in storage for a month. 

 

I can't go that long without my sewing machine so we used some precious car space and lugged one of my machines along for the ride. I chose one sewing project to bring with (I'll be making the Lonsdale Dress by Sewaholic Patterns), a few hand towels to embroider and a few patterns to trace for future projects to minimize the cargo space that it would take up.    

 When we got here, I was pleasantly surprised that the apartment we're in has a little desk nook that was perfect for a temporary sewing room. It was almost like the apartment knew I was coming and made a special room for me. My sewing area happens to be Henry's new favorite spot too.  

Also, in case you noticed, I crammed a few extra necessities into the car. For example, coasters that my sister/niece/nephews made, jam and pickled veggies that my sister canned, books I'm currently reading, multiple Goorin hats and of course my entire aromatherapy collection. If you're ever in corporate housing, I highly recommend bringing a few meaningful things with you to make it a little cozier and more personalized.   

 



Lonsdale Dress

I saw this pattern over a year ago and absolutely loved it. It's been sitting in my stash for a while and I finally had a chance to start working on it. I made a resolution this year to start making muslins of every clothing item I intend to sew for myself. I've been lazy and haven't been in the habit of doing that and as a result have been left with many disappointing projects that didn't fit and piles of ruined fabric.

I'm so glad I decided to make this pattern the right way! Fortunately, with a few tweaks it essentially fits me right off the pattern. I'll shorten the hem significantly, fully line the skirt and add an invisible zipper instead of a lapped one, but those are pretty much the only changes that I need to make.

I'm so impressed with the design of this pattern. It's simple to sew, the instructions are clear and concise and you can tell someone spent time on making the details perfect. I also used the muslin as an opportunity to try out my new invisible zipper foot (my new favorite tool) and testing out how I want to finish the seams.

I intend to use an Amy Butler orange dots fabric for the actual dress and will definitely be underlining the bodice for added structure. The dress sews up fast so hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have the real deal to share pictures of just in time for Spring!