dreamy pink gingham

I've been stalking the latest Cotton and Steel Checkers range, swooning over all the colours, and pounced when it was finally in stock online at the Village Haberdashery last month. I've also been stalking the release of By Hand London's latest pdf pattern, the Charlie dress, so pounced on that too when it became available. I knew this fabric and pattern would be perfect together.

The Charlie dress has a cute bandeau style bodice with princess seams and a side zip. I think this is my favourite bodice shape I've made yet. The lack of armscye shaping and upper back coverage meant I had no fitting issues. Big thumbs up for those with big shoulders and shoulder blades! I was surprised I didn't even need to lengthen the bodice by my usual 1/2 inch. My only fitting alterations were adjusting the length of the straps and their position on the front bodice - moving them from the centre of the princess seams to the side for better braa coverage.

The straps are sandwiched between the bodice and the fold over band so any adjustments need to be done before the neckline is sewn down. I thought I had done this, but either I was wearing poor underwear the day I fitted my bodice toile or the weight of the skirt on my finished dress pulled the whole bodice too low. I couldn't face unpicking overlocking, understitching and the seam, so I folded the straps and tucked them down at the back on the inside, hiding my hand stitches underneath the band so nothing is visible from the front. I'll make sure the straps are the correct length next time. For reference I shortened the straps by 2.5 inches.

I also decided not to clip into the curves of the princess seams as I thought it would look scruffy on an unlined bodice. Instead I trimmed the seam allowance to just under 1/4inch and used an overlock function on my sewing machine to finish off the edges as I didn't trust myself to sew such a slim edge on the overlocker. Ideally I would prefer a lined bodice as it looks neater, but that might create too much bulk at the neckline with the band.

My only other changes were down to personal taste, such as swapping out the skirt on the pattern for a plain gathered one. I also added patch pockets with little folded corners and a button, inspired by Tassadit's adorable pomme dress last year. I love a good pocket and I'm a chronic button hoarder so these pockets make me very happy. They certainly add to the overall cuteness of the dress.

My only grumbles with this dress were the wrinkles, (man this cotton loves to wrinkle) inserting the invisible zip (THREE TIMES! No idea why it wasn't cooperating) and all the pattern matching. I think I did a pretty good job matching the gingham across the princess seams though, so it was worth the head scratching and cutting everything on the flat. The only dodgy line up is at the zip, I don't quite know what happened there.


Speaking of zips, what do people do with the flappy bits at the top of the zip tape - do you fold and stitch them down like me, trim them off or stitch them at the top of the seam then attach a hook and eye? They really bother me, especially on an unlined bodice when they're visible. I also found my zip wanted to flip out as there is no facing or lining fabric to hold it in place (if that makes sense?) so I discreetly hand stitched it to the bodice at the top of the zip, under the band.

I may have only managed to wear this dress once before the weather turned, but I honestly felt fantastic in it. I wore it to meet up with my best friend and her mum, who I haven't seen in a year, on a surprisingly warm September day. I delighted in matching the gingham tablecloths at the cafe we had lunch in, took photos of my skirt billowing in the wind, and later in the day a random lady came up to me to say "what a gorgeous dress." It took all my self restraint to graciously say "Awww, thank you!" and not follow it with a manic "HELL YEAH, I MADE IT MYSELF!"

My pretty, pink, gingham dress of summery joy will have to wait until next year to be worn again, but I might leave it on my dressform, Doris, for a few days before retiring it to the wardrobe. It's too pretty to put away just yet.