Gabby Dress

Off for my Wedding Anniversary Dinner and pulled out my trusty Gabby Dress.

This is actually my second Gabby dress, I love that it can be dressed down for the beach or wear out for dinner and is perfect for our summer weather.

I cut out the medium for this one and it gave it a nicer fit around the chest than my last one.
Fabric is Rayon from Spotlight and they only had a small amount left and not enough to do the back so I colour blocked and I really like it.
Pattern matching the sleeves was a bit of luck - I wasn't even trying but very happy with the finish.

Trust me it gets a lot of wear!!

There will be more Gabby Dresses in my wardrobe before the summer is over that I'm sure

Yarn delivery

My yarn delivery from Webs arrived.

I have 5 Skeins of Cascade Yarn Sierra in Moth to make myself a Miette Cargidan

Now I have to learn how to wind it by hand... I have never bought a Skein before

I also bought some Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande (It is so beautiful and soft!!) to make a couple of Salt Cowls

I thought they might make great presents and maybe one for myself 

Better get knitting!!

A new year a new dress

Now that I am back at work full-time I am finding that my old work clothes are now in desperate need of updating. So I am trying to eat into my fabric stash and sew me some clothes.

I recently stumbled across a new blog - If I spent less time reading blogs I might have more time to actually post on this little blog.

So when Lincraft were having a sale on patterns I purchased one that I saw on Bobbin's blog that I thought would suit my body type.

Simplicity 2588

Being time poor I didn't sew a muslin - I just graded the pattern, I am a 16 around the bust and an 18 around the waist line.

Because this dress is not lined I knew that I would be able to adjust any fitting issues as I went along.

I used a cotton sateen that I had purchased from Spotlight last year.

I had to get my darling husband to help with some fitting at the back zipper. I pinned he zipped with pins then I adjusted and re-pinned until I got the fit I wanted.

I probably ended taking it in about an inch around the zipper all the way down the back seam.

This patterns gets you to hem before you put the zipper in which I thought was a bit weird as I have never come across this.

I know for next time to skip this step till after the zip as I had to unpick the back seam of the hem to take it in then re-hem around the back.

I used a invisible zipper instead of a lapped zipper as that was what I had in my stash. I don't think I have ever done a lapped zipper so that is one I would like to master.

I finished off all my seams with pinking scissors and bound the back zipper seams with some black bias tape I had on hand. 

I am so happy with this dress, style on me is very flattering and when I wore it to work everyone thought it looked amazing and couldn't believe that I had actually made it.

They said that is looked like something from Cue or Review

This is just the type of complements that give you the urge to go and sew another.

For some other reviews on this pattern check these out

Sew Tessuti, Sew Hopefully

Sorry for my terrible 7am photos!!