Celeste at Summer's End

I've been working on a few summer dresses to finish off my summer sewing, and now I can share them with you! My favourite so far from the queue has been the Celeste dress by Itch to Stitch. It's a simple shape, with nice lines and a good fit -- and I love the pockets. I made it in a busy floral linen so you can't really see the lines of it but I love the feel of it. Definitely making this one again. 

I didn't deviate much from the pattern. I graded from one size at shoulder to the next size up at hip (8/10) while tracing the pattern, and that is about the only real change I made. Oh -- also, because of my shape, I was also able to leave out the side zip - it pulls on over my head no problem. It fits really well and I found it really easy to sew. 

I popped down to the public garden in the middle of a traffic circle near me to get these photos in the lovely evening light. What a great spot. And makes for a nice evening walk too.

I was using a linen blend from my stash, and so I finished all the seams with zigzag stitching to prevent fraying. Because the princess line seams were all pressed to one side, I finished most of the seams together. It's very tidy. 

The front yoke is supposed to be self-lined but I didn't want to use the linen in two layers. I had some black cotton broadcloth in the stash that was lightweight and smooth against the skin so I used that instead. The inner yoke is supposed to be attached via stitch in the ditch but I find that when I'm doing something this shifty, I always miss an edge somewhere and the topstitching gets messy, even with the edgestitch foot in use. With this fabric I wanted to do a nice clean finish, so I hand-stitched the yoke down on the inside. It didn't take much longer than setting it up to machine stitch, and I love the smooth and even finish. 

The pockets that are built into the side panels are perfect -- not too big or small, and in just the right spot. They are big enough and sturdy enough to hold my phone :) 

I found this a really easy sew and enjoyed the process. The pattern is clear, the linen fabric was a dream to work with, and I love the final fit. I can see making this up in a variety of colours/fabrics. 

Huge flowers or tiny person? You decide...