D is for Dinosaur

I made another dress.

And this one has freakin' DINOSAURS on it! :D

I'm mildly ashamed that I've had this fabric for over a year and have only just booted myself up the backside to use it. I love that it's actually quite a subtle print.

"Hey, what a lovely blue dress. Wait... are those dinosaurs?"


"HELL YEAH THEY'RE DINOSAURS!" And they're on my legs too. DOUBLE DINO ACTION!

I made this dress following my new Elisalex pattern (the By Hand London ladies sent me a new copy as there was a fault with the initial reprint) and the bodice fits so much better than my last dress. I did a full bust adjustment (following By Hand London's excellent online tutorial) and slightly lengthened the bodice to hit my waist and the resulting bodice fits like a dream. I really couldn't be any happier with it.

As I liked the pleated skirt on my last dress I decided to do the same thing, except all my pleats are even and match up this time. I also remembered to make sure my waistband seams matched up, unlike last time. However I forgot to understitch the neckline, again. Ah well, third time lucky hopefully.

I decided to insert a lapped zipper on this dress as I hadn't done one before and liked the look of them. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and Winnie's tutorial was very clear to follow. There was definitely less swearing involved than when I inserted an invisible zip and I actually think the lapped zip feels more stable. It'll probably be my go-to zip method for dresses or skirts until I invest in a proper invisible zip foot for my sewing machine as the plastic one didn't fill me with confidence.

My only gripe with this dress was the lining. There are not enough swear words in the English language to convey how much I hated working with it. Dress lining is slippy at the best of times, but this one was just awful. I was forever unpicking stitching where it had slipped and/or puckered. It also unravelled like a demon and was near impossible to zigzag as it was so thin it just ate itself. I managed to zigzag the bodice lining seams (and I'm hoping they'll wash and wear ok) but I decided to add bias binding to the hem of the skirt lining to stop it fraying further.

And to end on a humorous note, I love these dino dudes who have merged together into a freakosaurus on my bodice due to my disregard for pattern matching at seams. I'm sure even sexy Patrick from the Great British Sewing Bee would forgive me for such a hilarious outcome. It weirdly works so perfectly.

I'm already itching to start my next sewing project. Watch this space! :)