Saturday, August 24, 2013

Saltspring

I am a total sucker for a maxi dress. I think it is because I love summer. I love the heat, I love to sweat a little, I love being outdoors and not feeling cooped up inside. This winter, Melbourne is my arch nemesis. I feel as though we are having the worst winter I've yet to experience. It probably isn't helped by the fact I had a sinus operation and then have caught a cold that won't go away, but this Melbourne winter sucks. Windy, rainy, cold..... blah. Bring on summer!

Luckily next week Little M and I are heading to Brisbane, my home town. Michael is off to Germany for a conference and us girls are going to see my family and take advantage of the beautiful 28 degree days Brissie is having.

In preparation for this, I've sewed a few summery things for us both. First off the rank to show you is Sewaholic's Saltspring Dress.

I really need a pedicure. My feet have been enclosed in shoes for too long!

Look at that little pup in the background!
I sewed this in a size 8 with the only alteration being adding 3cm to the length of the skirt. I omitted the zip, and that was that. Hello Saltspring.


This dress comes together very easily. As other reviews have noted, the genius element of this dress is that the bodice lining pieces are shorter than the outer, so the blousing effect happens naturally. I love it. I only wore it to take the pics this morning, but I sat and had morning tea in it (albeit with a fleece jacket over the top!) with Little M and it was extremely comfortable. I think it gives a nice silhouette - what do you think? Maybe a little pregnancy-suspcious from the side? I'm not in case you're wondering!


The other thing I love about this dress is the pockets. That, to me, is genius. Pockets in a maxi dress.



The fabric is a light to medium weight cotton from the Alannah Hill warehouse that I got on a whim with no specific purpose in mind a while back. It was $6/m and was a joy to sew. I wish I'd gotten more.

I can see this dress getting a lot of wear come the warmer months here. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to sew a Liberty version as my Christmas dress. I've gotten the Tiny Dancer print from the current collection for Little M's Christmas dress - she is going to look insanely gorgeous!!!!

Pattern: Sewaholic's Saltspring Dress
Fabric: 3m cotton from the Alannah Hill Warehouse
Notions: none
Size: 8
Alterations: lengthened skirt by 3cm, omitted zip.
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14 comments:

  1. thornberryAugust 24, 2013 at 8:27 PM

    It looks wonderful on you Rachel, as I knew it would! Great fabric to pattern match.

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  2. AnonymousAugust 24, 2013 at 8:48 PM

    Beautiful. I'm Sewing my muslin for the saltspring dress now. I'm hoping mine is half as lovely as yours!!

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  3. SuzyAugust 24, 2013 at 11:30 PM

    It looks gorgeous! My only hesitation with this dress has been about wearing a bra with the thin straps - what do you reckon? Does the lining mean it's not needed?

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    Replies
    1. RachelAugust 25, 2013 at 12:01 AM

      Thank you! I'm not wearing a bra with it in these photos. I think the blouse-y fit & lining mean you don't need one.

      Delete
    2. SuzySeptember 2, 2013 at 3:09 PM

      Thanks for replying - good to know about the lining etc. I should be fine, I'm not spectacularly endowed by any means, just slightly less confident about going braless post babies.

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  4. AmandaAugust 25, 2013 at 3:28 AM

    Super cute and super comfy!

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  5. Faye LewisAugust 25, 2013 at 3:42 AM

    That's a beautiful rendition of the saltsprings dress Rachel.

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  6. sarahpAugust 26, 2013 at 12:54 AM

    Very nice! I've modified the saltspring to have wider straps to wear a bra with it. This is going to be awesome over summer, now you just need some warmer weather.....

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  7. AnonymousAugust 26, 2013 at 6:19 PM

    Great fabric choice. It looks like no zip is the way to go.

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  8. The Long & Winding BobbinAugust 28, 2013 at 4:15 AM

    Third time lucky with this comment! Gah
    This looks amazing, the colours suit you so well!!
    Do you think this pattern would work for a larger bust??? I've been on the fence about it...
    You look beautiful and summery :-)

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    Replies
    1. RachelAugust 28, 2013 at 4:24 AM

      I do think it would work, but maybe you would need to modify the straps to accommodate a bra? Unless you want to wear a strapless. Sarah over at SewSquirrel has modified the straps so she can wear a bra. Xx

      Delete
  9. liza janeAugust 28, 2013 at 6:53 PM

    Beautiful! Such pretty fabric for that pattern.

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  10. KarenSeptember 2, 2013 at 6:37 AM

    Oh I love this Rachel - what gorgeous fabric. Can't wait to see all your Christmas dresses.

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  11. Sew BrunswickSeptember 26, 2013 at 5:01 AM

    Love this dress. I just realised that I bought the same fabric at the AH outlet on Tuesday. I bought it to make my nieces some xmas presents and myself a pair of pj's. It's got a lovely feel to it. L x

    ReplyDelete

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