Sew Lisette? Don't Mind If I Do.

This dress was finished before my temporary sewing hiatus so rest assured that I have not "relapsed."  In fact, there will be no relapsing around here because I took this opportunity to drop my machine off for a little tune-up.  I'm interested to see if I notice any difference on how it runs when I get it back...in two weeks!

I made this dress with Simplicity 2209, one of the new Sew Lisette patterns from the Simplicity line.  I have to say that I was a bit ambivalent towards this dress when I first started making it because I was afraid that it might be a little boring.  The pattern itself has some interesting darts in the bodice and some basic darts in the skirt, but both are pretty much lost in the bold pattern on the fabric.

Looking at it finished, I think it did come out as a fairly simple dress but the pattern on the fabric definitely does not make it boring.

And let's discuss the fabric - it's from Alexander Henry's cotton lawn collection and it is lovely.  Bold colors and beautiful hand.  It was wonderful to work with and I'm hoping that it won't be too see through since the colors are fairly dark.  I think the fabric runs a bit narrower than typical quilting cottons so I was worried about having enough for the dress but I was able to make it with 2.5 yards of fabric with a bit to spare.

As for the pattern itself, I made a couple of alternations.  As usual, I used an invisible zippers on the side rather than a lapped zipper.  I should probably confess at this point that I don't even remember how to install any other type of zipper.

I also sewed a 1/2 inch seam at the shoulders and the bodice to make the waist seam hit where my natural waist is.  Also, I finished the armholes with bias-cut fabric that I cut out of the dress fabric rather than use store-bought bias cut fabric that tends to have a yucky feel to it.  Oh, and I hand sewed the bias cut fabric in the armholes in hopes of getting a cleaner look.  It ain't perfect but it'll do.  Other than that I pretty much followed the pattern, which is well-written and easy to understand.  Yay!

Pattern: Simplicity 2209 - a Sew Lisette pattern
Size: Cut out a size 8 at the top of the bodice and graded to a size 10 at the bottom of the bodice and in the skirt.  The fit is perfect (and by perfect I mean that if I exhale too strenuously I may pop a seam in the lower bodice area).
Fabric: Alexander Henry cotton lawn - from the Fulham Road collection - 2.5 yards
How I Feel About This Dress: Tickled pink.