Presenting: dress nr.2

Last week, I told you how much I was loving the big skirts for summer (several of you commented that they're actually quite fashionable and of course, you could be quite right. I know these were all over the magazines the year before last, but didn't really make it to the street. Of course, high street labels will never be great fans of any look which uses a lot of fabric in one garment) and how much I wanted to get started on nr. 2 from my line-up.

Well, I did. And this dress sort of shows what I ment by apologizing for the quality of my sketches. Did any of you think, from the sketch, that it would end up looking like this?

It turned out pretty much exactly as I had hoped. The sketch may have set-in sleeves, but I used kimono sleeves with underarm gussets (recycled from the pattern for my black wrap dress, which I made the summer before last). The collar has cut-on lower lapels and just a big piece of bias cut fabric for the top bit. The buttons you see are the real closure, with the faced edge which holds them extending for about 20 cm below the waist. The skirt is a full circle with extra width added to it at four pleats which line up with the darts in the bodice. I hemmed it last night: all 5,5 meters of it. Oh, and there are pockets in the side seams.

Self-drafted pattern, of course.

I have to say, I'm very pleased with this one. I've been very lucky to find this fabric: cotton poplin with a bit of stretch in a colour which is perfect for me, for sale at 1 euro a meter. And not all own designs turn out as well as this one.