Summer time is for pretty dresses. Neither of my girls require any new dresses, this year or the next. So what’s a frustrated fabricaholic to do?! Sew for someone else, of course! I decided I’d use up a bit more stash making a summer dress for my best friend. I also used stash fabric for the toile, hoping it would work out pretty well and be a wearable toile.
We decided the perfect dress was Pauline Alices’s Cami Dress. I had the perfect summer fabric, bought from Croft Mill Fabrics last year, or maybe even the one before…. According to measurements, I needed the 38. My friend has broad shoulders, so I knew there would be an adjustment needed there, I just needed to know how much.
The toile was made in a pretty floral printed cotton sent to me by another friend in America. This is the same friend who sent me the Paris print and the grey plaid from the previous post! She has a good nose for finding pretty fabrics. The toile fitted pretty well , the shoulders needed to be 1.5cm wider, the sleeves needed a couple of centimetres in width and the waist needed to be one or two cm wider, for wearing ease. I also needed to make the skirt longer, by 5cm.
The adjustments were quick and easy to make. But, as I knew it would happen, my friend loved the fabric and wanted me to see if the toile could be made to fit better. I changed what I could and added a false hem. I also finished off the seams on the inside, neatening where ever I could reach. I picked out some simple dark grey buttons from the button box to complete the garment.
This is a lovely dress to make, it goes together nice & quickly. The instructions are clear and concise, pattern pieces are on a good quality paper which is easy to tape down and trace from. The only thing I would (and did) change, is to apply the collar before sewing the side seams. It’s always much easier to sew a collar on with the garment flat, ie no side seams!
Best bit about the dress? The pockets! Best friend was chuffed to bits to find two decent sized pockets in the side seams. She chose the buttons, after digging through all the blue/green/grey options, best friend found these little pink satin covered buttons. Perfect!!
The dress has recieved loads of compliments already, and I’m really happy to have made her something she loves and feels happy in.
THE COMPULSIVE SEAMSTRESS 
What a lucky friend you have! Gorgeous dresses both, and lovely fabric.
Thank you Naomi!
These are indeed pretty! I’ve had my eye on this pattern and may need to buy it!
Ah Sue, it’s right up your street!!
You are so lucky to have such a great friend to get you such gorgeous fabric. Love both dresses, such beautiful fabrics. Cheers, Michele
Thanks Michele, she’s very good at sniffing them out! And vintage patterns, so many fabulous vintage patterns have come my way through her obsession for estate sales!!
Lucky you!! I am jealous. Cheers, Michele
These are both lovely! I bet she’ll be so happy each time she wears them! I’ve always sewn on my collar last, but I have to try it your way- it makes so much sense the way you’ve described it!
Definitely quicker and easier this way! 😊
Lovely, lovely dresses, Anne, and some delightful fabrics! 😘
Thanks Del! 🙂
You’re welcome, Anne!
Love both dresses and the buttons…! Great fabrics too…
Super dresses, the fabrics are lovely and look great at this dress, I should do more unselfish sewing! But I keep getting inspiration and sewing more for me 🙂 I could do with this dress in my wardrobe!
Thanks! I usually find inspiration for others so much easier than for myself. I think I can see things easier on others than on me, not really helpful… 😉
I love me a good 2 for 1! Great stash busting and lucky friend. I think I have a piece of that exact same duck egg fabric that I liberated from a remnant bin! (I was thinking of using it for a bag lining, now I reckon I’m doing it a disservice0
Oh boy, definitely! If you have enough, it would make a beautiful blouse.
Beautiful fabrics… perfect dresses! 🙂
Thank you! 🙂 Luckily the weather has played ball and given us a lovely Indian Summer so the dresses will still be worn before being packed away for the winter.