So, a few months ago, I was contacted by Nadja, of Schnittchen Patterns, who asked if I would like to be the Aussie in Sewing around the World 2018. Such an honour to be asked! and of course I was delighted! I’m the designated Miss February, hehe.
I was kinda like, hmmm February … and of course, Valentine’s Day. Pink, clearly… I mean, I love pink anyway, so really I don’t even need an excuse to make something pink. But it’s nice having one!
Usually on Valentine’s Day, we’re in the habit of going for a picnic together; it’s such a lovely time of year here for a picnic! warm balmy nights with pink and apricot and orange and navy blue sunsets. I make up a nice basket with the finest goodies Coles has to offer; I’m thinking smoked salmon salad, strawberries and chockies, with a bottle of pink bubbly- clearly got pink on the brain here, but naturellement! – and a rug… we carry it down to the foreshore, set ourselves up, plastic flutes in hand to watch the sun go down, with a thousand city lights across the water, twinkling into being like fairy lights. Yep, pretty nice. Should make the effort more than once a year!
Anyway, I pictured myself clad appropriately in something super romantic, ladylike and feminine… I chose the Schnittchen Sally dress pattern, because it’s nothing if not romantic, ladylike and feminine… a true wrap dress with ultra-oversized pockets and a tulip skirt; a sweet and slightly old-fashioned in a good way, beautifully drape-y design… my favourite part is the bodice, with those lovely gentle gathers falling gracefully from the shoulders.
For the fabric, I picked out this crepe from my stash, originally bought from Spotlight last year sometime. I bought it with no plan in mind, just because I loved the delicate, Chinoiserie vibe of the print… and the colours; deep mossy green boughs against a beautiful warm, peachy-pink sky… this is basically my perfect pink.
Actually, I’ve been very inspired by a more ladylike vibe and silhouette lately, pinning tea length and floaty floral dresses like they’re going out of fashion… oh wait, well you know what I mean! Honestly, I think floral is having a real moment. Although, you know fashion; dichotomous is pretty much the thing. I myself am into romantic one day, quirky the next, sculptural and monochromatic the day after that. I often wonder how the defining look of our times is going to be depicted; 10, 20, 30 years in the future. Maybe the skinny jean/loose tee/moto jacket look, and yet, my Vogue magazines for the past year have zig-zagged wildly over several different extremes; the sharp yet comfortable, post-modern, luxe ath-leisure look, the oversized, minimal look, the floaty, floral, feminine look. I personally am very much more excited by these looks than the skinny jean one.
Making this dress was pretty easy, once I’d nutted out the waistband design. I didn’t have quite enough fabric to self-line the pockets, so used a portion of coffee-coloured polyacetate lining fabric for that bit; otherwise I used up every last scrap of the crepe, which is an enormously satisfying thing to do in the sewing world. The instructions are translated from the German and are … interesting, and took me a little while to wrap my head around them. I don’t mean that in a negative way. I actually like to be stretched mentally in my sewing, get my brain buzzing about with different ways of thinking about it, and it’s not so often that pattern instructions make me stop and THINK. These ones did! It’s funny, I’ve been sewing for aaaaages and have always experimented with lots of different pattern companies, but pretty much everyone employs the same lingo and you can’t help but fall into a bit of a rut. I mean, for example, you come to expect particular words to be used to describe particular procedures in sewing, and when those particular words are not used, when another, unexpected word is used instead, it can throw you for a bit of a loop. Speaking kinda generally there, but specifically, the construction of this dress is a straightforward affair, it’s just that you have to read, and comprehend, and not just expect everything to be written using the exact same set of prescribed terms. It’s actually one of the things I enjoy about using other-language patterns.
I don’t know why I always include a rear shot… it’s rarely an interesting sight and I always think I look awful. But anyway, I guess about half the people around you will catch sight of it whether they want to or not, so I guess it’s a good idea to see it for yourself too. It’s since taking pictures of my rear view for the blog that I’ve learnt pattern placement on the back of your clothing is JUST AS IMPORTANT a consideration as the front. Happily, this is a pretty lovely print, with little possibility of an unfortunate, accidental bullseye.
I am in two minds about the hem length on this one though. Part of me is wondering if I need to lop off a few inches…
HUGE plus, the pockets are actually HUGE (satisfied sigh) You could stash a kitten in there, easily… #don’tevenknowwhyIthoughtofthatone #leavingit
I consider myself Valentine-ready! Pass the champers! (hic!)
Details:
Dress; schnittchen patterns Sally dress, in a printed crepe, quite crisp, thin, drapes beautifully
Sandals; Zomp, from Zomp shoes
Later edit;
I’m trying out a new “thing” for the stuff I showcase here on my blog; a little action!! a little less conversation! the flat picture is kinda nice, not 100% informative, and I know I like to see things more “for real” as in how they move, how they look in 3D… this may or may not become an every-time feature… apart from the ineptitude of the model – it’s her first time! please forgive!! – what do you think?
https://youtu.be/w_3S7AkE1yg
What a wonderful backdrop for a wonderful dress. You would see our nipples showing through if you wore it here in the UK on the 14th Feb! We had a hard frost this morning and I put on my Aftur nordic sweater and jeans. Jo xxx
You always look great in your shorter dresses and skirts but this particular dress looks fabulous this length. I think your version looks better than the pattern sample. I’m tempted to give it a go although the idea of balmy evenings and warm sunny days is still a distant fantasy and potentially forlorn hope (another UK reader here).
This is really pretty. I do love a wrap dress!
Your plans for Valentines day sound perfect, so not commercialized at all. My husband was at a business meeting so the closest I got to a picnic today was dinner with the doors open.
What an elegant dress! Absolutely perfect – the pockets, the length …
This dress looks as if the pattern had been made for you! Have a lovely Valentine‘s Day. A picnic sounds promising.
Gorgeous dress! You’re reviving a look that should absolutely still be in fashion! 🙂
Beautiful dress! I think the length is perfect; it balances the volume of the skirt.
so very pretty, and the design of the skirt is interesting and drapes well. photos of the back, yes please! I always want to see how the back of a garment looks. (even though I know what you mean, I don’t often like the photos of me showing the back) but needs must for a sewing blog, right?
This dress is so pretty! And you look so beautiful in it! I think the length is perfect. I love wrap dresses, and that tulip hem really takes the style up a notch
Your version is pretty, elegant, and looks SO much better (*almost* enough to make me want to wear dresses) than the one shown on the Schnittchen website!
What a pretty dress – I say that with praise. And your picnic sounds lovely. I like to read about balmy nights from here, where it’s pretty dreary right now with temperatures falling. Sigh. Pink is what we need.
I’m totaly un love with this dress.
Pretty, pretty! Dress looks like it was just drafted for you. Perfect. Love the fabric too.
Such a very pretty dress! Happy Valentine’s day!
What a beautiful dress for Valentine’s day. I hope that your picnic was as delightful as it sounds.
Please keep including pictures of the back view, it shows how the garment truly fits, and when I’m sewing something that you’ve made before I find all the views very useful.
I love this dress. And your version is so elegant. Now I want one, too! Especially after you said the pockets are roooooomy
Exquisitely romantic, wonderful pattern /fabric match . Don’t touch the length
You look beautiful and the dress looks perfect for you in every way. I hope you don’t cut inches off the length – the longer length suits this particular dress. I can see it shorter in another fabric and I hope you do make another. It’s so elegant and romantic as it is. Yes, kittens in pockets please.
First, the kitten: yes, please. A new buddy for the pup; photo candy, for us.
Second, the dress. I hope that you’ll forgive this bit of second guessing, but pattern testing seems like the time to be coolly analytical. What if this is one of those designs where the sum of the parts is less then the parts individually? The chinoiserie antique-y pink fabric is flattering and 100% on-trend. The wrap top portion is nicely shaped. So are the sleeves. Overlapping split curved skirt fronts are having a moment. The pockets are nice, taken individually. But don’t you think somehow the combination slips into dowdy-land, somewhere below the waist?
If I were making this pattern, I’d definitely eliminate the gathers below the waist, and I’d reconsider the tulip skirt silhouette in this overall design context. I’d shape the skirt with folds, pleats, darts or bias. I might take it shorter. I might add a wide flounce all around the edge of the hemline. Not a ruffle; a flounce. I think this grouping https://www.thereformation.com/dresses?page=7 is the vibe this pattern was reaching for, but needs tweaking to get there.
As is your habit, you executed the design flawlessly, which makes it work. It just feels as though the same dress juuust missed being much better.
Happy Valentine’s Day back to you, with apologies from an incorrigible Hindsight Hound.
This is such a pretty dress and the length is perfect on you. I much prefer your version to the original, you have made it look so elegant.
Very elegant dress and the length is perfect on you. Your version looks way better than the pattern version.
I don’t know if you kept the length, but I agree, I think the initial length is beautiful and very flattering!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a light pink floral done so beautifully – really! I love this dress and you two go very well together!! Bravo! And happy late Valentine’s Day, hope it was a good one 🙂
I like to see the back view as well, it gives a better sense of the whole garment. I’m afraid you are wrong, though; you look very elegant in those pictures too. The dress is just delightful.
It is wonderful to see the dress pattern in action. Thanks so much for the video. I do wonder, though, what happens to the skirt when you sit down? I am prejudiced against crossover skirts in general because in New York City, there is always a gust of wind that sneaks around the corner to blow your skirt apart.
thank you! this is a true wrap dress, so a slip or a petticoat is a must! It does fall open when you’re sitting or kneeling… you can actually see my slip in the video peeping out at some point. I made my slip a few years ago using a Burda pattern, using champagne satin; and it’s been worn a tonne.
Beautiful dress, and love the video! I couldn’t really see what was going on with the pockets until then – they give such an interesting sculptural interest to an otherwise standard type of silhouette. The model did great! I agree with Susan – maybe have a chair/seating be part of the walk through?
You look so stunning in this dress Carolyn xxx
So feminine and such a pretty print.