Voila: The Lilly Dress in Gingham

Hey, I made a dress! Yes, I have returned officially as a sewing blogger, because it is a sewing project for just me!

AND it's a LILLY DRESS by Katie at Orange Stitches.

Lately, I've been hanging around on twitter while my boy goes to sleep. I know there are various ways to help or not help your child to sleep, so I just hang out with him with my phone brightness down low and 'read my book' (as I tell him) which is actually reading twitter. Ginger Makes had a little note, 'Can anyone pattern test for Katie!?' and as I'm in a 'joining in' vibe now I'm back blogging & sewing... here I am with a Lilly Dress... and it's my first time at pattern testing. Voila!

Katie describes the frock as a dress you can wear running around the house or running errands, and then something you can make it look a bit more special later on if you go out for drinks ... and we all need those kind of dresses! The gingham for me makes it a little more House Dress-like, and I wanted it shorter for that "day dress easy switch to night dress" (That's a thing right, day/night outfits?) because I love my pins.

Katie sent me the pattern pdf and instructions, and it's an easy one to piece together as there's only 3 pattern pieces and I decided to trace to paper this time and there was no confusion for me as to how to piece it together. I have only done about 5 or 6 pdf patterns, so I'm kinda beginner on this... I haven't made up my mind if I like the pdf patterns or not... I would like to find a place in Shanghai who can print off the entire pattern sheet because Kazz the Spazz told me once this is a quicker way to get it done.

ANYWAYS! All three pattern pieces are on the fold and you gotta love that with a long piece of fabric, I had 2 metres, ("liang mi" in Chinese) so made the skirts shorter (remember, I need to show my pins) and it all fitted on there fine, with enough space for bias tape as well.

Katie's instructions were very clear and she provides photographs along the way, so really, this pattern is superb if you're just starting out sewing and need a bit of step by step stuff. If my life didn't have a 2 year old in it (shock, I would cry first) and I didn't live in this crazy place, I'd prob have sewn in 3-4 hours MAX... But I'm not going to pretend, it took all week and I have to sew in 20 minutes blocks, just because life is so busy. Plus I want to watch House of Cards with Husbie, so 20 minutes - 40 minutes by myself a day is sometimes all I get.

But, I did take care with the insides and so I did take a little more time, because I want to take photos of my seams and neatness ... a goal of mine to be a little tidier on the inside now that I'm going to Sewing School! All neck holes and arm holes are bias binded, and I used my beautiful new neat way of making bias tape that Teacher Muriel taught me... and you'll see the easy peasy elastic casing at the back that Katie talks you through as well.

For me, maybe because I have to take so many breaks with sewing and I got a little muddled, the front seam and the back elastic casing didn't match up, so I turned a quick little bust dart on either side, and it balanced out fine, making the bodice have a little more shape, but it is a little roomy still. I sewed a size Medium, I actually think I'm a small in Katie's sizing. But it is tricky when my measurements are so petite but busty.

The shape of the skirt is my favourite. So cute!

Because I used this type of cotton (which I thought was light) it is a little boxy in the front bodice...  but next time I will use even lighter and flowy fabrics, and maybe that will lighten it up around my bust...

This version is sweet enough, but I don't think it suits my shape... the skirt part is cute but the shoulders and front part is boxy with my large bust. And yes, now I've taken the photos and look at them again, I think my sizing would be better if I did the size down... so the small... oh well, it's still a great dress and now my friend can enjoy it (I hate tailoring down sizes once the garment is done!) so that's a plus!

And WHAT the fucko am I doing with my phone? Using it as a freaking remote control for the camera! I laughed sooooooo much when I connected it... I got a Panasonic Lumix again here in Shanghai, and the newer versions have this wifi connection... I am so impressed and even though it always took 3 photos in the auto timer setting, now I can pretend I'm a fashion blogger with the remote! You can even see yourself on the phone screen to make sure you're all in shot. THE FUTURE.

OK, so that's it for now, sorry for my SUPER overuse of photos in this post, but you can tell, I'm excited to sew, excited to photog the dress, and very excited to finally pattern test for someone lovely and awesome like Katie. My disclosure (I've seen people write this): she did send me the pattern for free, but I bought my own fabric and wrote my own words with my own hands. AND I said she was lovely and awesome, entirely on my own free will. 

Ok, see you again soon you bunch of legends!

xoxo