Border Print Summer Sorrell

I participated in the Kickstarter project for Jennifer Lauren Handmade's new Sorrell Dress, quite a few months ago now. Therefore, I've had the pdf pattern for this dress for a while! But I've only got around to sewing it up now, right at the time that she has released the pattern for everyone; it's now in her shop, in both pdf and paper formats.

I've made a few of her patterns before -- I adore the Laneway Dress. So I really wanted to make this one too. I like the slightly retro vibe and the simple lines of her patterns.

I was dithering about what fabric to use for my first try. I saw that some of the testers used linen, some rayon, some a crisper cotton -- I couldn't pick! So I finally found a cotton border print in my stash that I thought would make an interesting dress.

I bought this fabric from the sale ends at my local Fabricland because I thought it was pretty, but it's been marinating in the stash for a while. I was happy to finally match it up with a pattern! The pattern is an advanced beginner sew, with the same feature I liked in the Laneway, a facing that folds out to create a collar. With this border print, I had to use the print for the facings as well so there would be a pretty match.

I had to cut creatively to fit the dress onto the fabric, though. I cut most of it on the crossgrain, obviously, since I was using the border print. But I had to shift the front bodice to straight grain to squeeze it in. Fortunately with this fabric, you can't tell as it's a solid with no directional print or weave. Also because it's fairly fitted there's no competing drape on front and back to be concerned with. It all looks the same.

It is a lightweight cotton so I used a very light interfacing to keep the hand of the fabric supple. And I set my own button placement -- I always start by marking the bust button and working from there. I used an 18mm button rather than the 15mm that I'd expected so the placement could have been a little wider; I have them all spaced at 2". But I like the look of it anyhow.

The other change I made was to release one of the back tucks. When I finished it and put it on, I didn't like the way the waist pulled a bit at the side back seams. This is most likely because of the fact that my waist/hip is at least a size bigger than my bodice, and although I thought I'd accommodated for that it wasn't quite right. So I just released the outer back tucks on each side, and restitched the waist seam. It worked great.

After wearing it for a day, I'm planning on putting a little snap on the collar overlay about an inch above the top button just to keep things a little less gaping, especially at work ;)  And I'll probably cut the shoulder to bust area at 14 rather than 16 on my next try just to take a tiny bit in and make it a pinch more fitted.

This is a charming pattern, really straightforward and easy to sew. I think it could look quite different depending on fabric choice, so it's a good standard for your pattern collection.

The Lindy Skirt, The Sorrel Top: matchy matchy!

I have a few items I made over the past few months that I've neglected to share here thus far.

But they were interesting and useful projects, so I am getting around to writing them up and also getting some pictures of them now that I can go outside without a parka hiding everything.

First off is this set of coordinating makes for which I used a black polkadot knit I found at the Goodwill -- the Lindy Petal Skirt from Itch to Stitch (a free pattern) and the Sorrel Top from Seamster Patterns (and most unfortunately it looks like Seamster is no longer in business).

I started with the Lindy Petal skirt, and tried to adapt it to have some cut on pockets, discovering as I was putting together the overlapping layers that you have to put the pockets into the outer layer ON BOTH SIDES if you want to get your hands in to them....  But, since I had tons of the polkadot knit, I recut the underlayer and now have two useable pockets. I do like having them, but there is a bit of bumpiness in this kind of slinky knit which doesn't 100% work with the silhouette. Since I always wear something covering the top of my skirt it doesn't bother me terribly, and I have worn this skirt a lot since it was finished. The tiny beige dots on the black read as a solid from a distance, and both that flexibility in matching with things and the comfort of this pattern mean I wear this a ton.

The pattern is well laid out, with clear instructions, and is fairly easy to make. I'd prefer another waistband elastic method, as my waistband ended up pretty puckered and uneven on first try -- I redid it using the technique from the Jalie Eleonore waistband and it seemed to stabilize it a bit more. That could be entirely due to my slippery fabric though, and no walking foot.

The only change I made, other than trying to add pockets, was to cut the bottom petal edge at a less acute angle to give myself a little more knee coverage. This is a great easy knit pattern and has such a nice finished effect. I recommend it for beginners as it's a little bit different and unique, and yet still easy to make. I also used this pattern to mash up with the Moneta bodice during a sewalong with the Monthly Stitch last summer, in a more stable knit, and it worked a dream.

Next up is the Sorrel Top. I love the look of the faux collar; it is actually set in, quite cleverly. It did take some head scratching and a bit of patience to get the collar curve to fit and meet at the points correctly but practice makes perfect. Also, I clearly had no idea how to get a hem right on this kind of knit when I made this - yikes! Good thing it was a working muslin and I haven't actually worn it anywhere ;)

I used a bit of black stretchy knit from my scraps stash for the body of the shirt, and the polkadot knit for the collar. Unfortunately, because the small dots read as a solid from a distance, the effect is rather lost on this version. But it was a trial attempt, and I will be altering a few things about it in future anyhow.

You can see that there is quite a bit of fabric pooling across the back, so I'll be taking some of that out on the next go. Also, I will be using a knit that is a little less shiny and slippery to make things easier on myself! Even with all that, I quite like this one. The style is cute and the fit is nice, even with the adjustments I'll have to make. This outfit is fun and seems just perfect for my new thrifted vintage sandals too.

These are both interesting designs, and I recommend trying out the Lindy yourself -- it's free, what have you got to lose? I am really sad that Seamster is no longer up and running, as I really liked this top and am a huge fan of her Rose Hip Tights. If you have one of the original patterns, I recommend trying it out.