5.12.12

East Woody

Since our move here, we have headed down to the beach for a walk more evenings than not.  There are a few beaches to choose from, and East Woody (Galaru) is one of our favourites.  At low tide, you can walk across to the island (Dhamitjinya).


Up until now, the sky has always been clear there.  Not yesterday when we took the camera though.  I think the haziness was a combination of increasing humidity and smoke from fires.  I was wearing my new dress. 


The fabric is a Milly silk print, purchased from EmmaOneSock.  I'm not sure of the weave, but it feels like the silk faille that I used to make this dress.   It is matte, with good drape, and enough absorptivity to be comfortable in hot weather.  I think it is the absorptivity that makes linen and cotton so comfortable in hot weather, but I could be wrong.


The pattern was Vogue 8552, which I have used previously here and here.  In the above photo, you can see that I deviated from the pattern and made the pleats uneven at the CF.  This was to hide the beige stripe, as the beige was not very flattering against my skin.  You can make these sort of changes when you sew for yourself. I also used a bias binding facing, as ironing the pleated facings on my previous version always annoys me. 


The pattern has a pegged front and straight back, but I changed the front to be straight, as there is a bit of walking stress on the side seams of my second version. 


Initially I was going to sew up a Burda dress with an elastic waist-tie in a casing, but substituted this pattern instead.  I was going to add the casing, but decided not to, as I have realised that my preferred style is loose dresses.  I figured that I could add a belt if I wanted more shape.  Belts can be restrictive though, if they are tight enough to provide shape, so I decided to add a removable casing.  I have thread an elastic tie through a self made casing; essentially an elasticised belt.


It never occurred to me to try and match stripes until after the dress was made up.  I cut the sleeves double, folded on the hemline (as for my first version of this dress) and I was careful to lay the sleeve pattern with the same colour stripe along the hemline.


This is my third dress from this pattern, but I don't feel that the dresses are so similar as to be boring, so I foresee a few more versions.

20 comments:

Sharon said...

Sounds like the perfect dress for your new location and a walk on the beach of an evening sounds heaven.

Sew-4-Fun said...

Lovely dress! The fabric really makes it, and thanks for the location shots. I'm loving seeing the NT.

SEWN said...

Gorgeous fabric and beautiful dress!

Amy said...

I just showed Derek these pictures and said, see that water? Can we live near water? And take our border collies on walks along the beach every night? That last photo is especially lovely. So relaxed and pretty. This seems like a great tnt dress pattern. I like wearing loose tunic-like dresses in summer here.

Uta said...

You live in paradise! The dress is great, I especially love the orange sleeve hems.

Sew Brunswick said...

Fantastic pattern to fabric combo!! Plus I have that pattern. Will add it to the summer to-do list!

Robyn said...

Great summer dress - love the asymmetric pleats at the neckline, very clever.

Karin said...

It's a perfect, simple summer dress for a boldly patterned fabric! I love the print!

Karine said...

Great dress, great fabric, great pictures !

Jane M said...

I love the fabric you chose and especially the sleeve trim. And those pictures are a little virtual holiday.

Zoe said...

Wow! What an amazing place to live! The dress looks fabulous too xx

fabric epiphanies said...

Your dress looks very cool to wear and I like the print. Great photos!

Audrey said...

Lucky you to have a beach near your home. I am jealous. This is a very pretty dress to wear on your daily beach strolls.

gwensews said...

Super dress that can go a lot of places--even a walk on the beach. The scenery is awesome.

liza jane said...

I bet it feels wonderful to wear. I'd love to find some good silk prints like this. This is such a great dress, one that you'll be able to wear on many different occasions. I love the hazy photos, too.

Crab and Bee said...

Super cool print, perfect for your dress! Also, being from very far away in Seattle, I learned some NZ geography from your post!

kbenco said...

What beautiful location shots. Your dress looks perfect for the climate, but much more elegant than most hot weather clothing. Lovely.

poppykettle said...

SUCH a gorgeous dress (those colours really suit you well)... and beautiful photos to boot too. Although that hardly surprises me - you live in such a visually stunning part of the country :) Love your work, as always.

Gail said...

You are such a lucky girl - NT looks so beautiful and so does your dress. Great fabric and perfect simple styling.

Evelyne said...

Gorgeous fabric and dress!! Stunning location and pics.