Hello! My first post in a very long time, and uncharacteristically I’m blogging about a garment I’ve made this week – wonders will never cease.

Let’s cut to the chase. The pattern is the Sew Over It Doris Dress, which I purchased last year as a PDF. I printed and assembled the pattern a while ago – somewhere between 3 and 6 months. I knew I would need to use a wide cotton fabric, due to the skirt having seven panels, and pretty much dating back to when I cut out the PDF, I knew I wanted to use this pretty floral fabric. It was not expensive, bought as part of a batch from The Textile Centre. The listing said it was ex-Zara and when it arrived I was pleased with the appearance and quality, as well as the delicate muted colours.

I chose to make the view with the tie back, in the longer length. This is still fairly short on me but a nice length for a summer dress.

As it’s half term I’ve just returned from a night away with my mum in sunny Scarborough. It was the first time either of us had visited since we went on a day out with my mum’s work ~ almost 20 years ago! We stayed at North Bay and didn’t stray too far from our accommodation but found Scarborough to be lovely, and the perfect place to get a few photos for this post.

I’m happy with how this dress has turned out. I took my time with it, and it probably took me around 8 hours in total. I’m pleased with the fit – I cut the pattern out as a 14 which actually fits me fairly perfectly on the bodice. I don’t love the finish of the sleeves; just a double turned hem, but apart from that I think I would remake with very few adjustments. 

It’s ages since I made anything with buttonholes and buttons but they went pretty well using my machine. I used some buttons from my stash, after canvassing IG for opinions on which matched nicely. On bank holiday Monday I made a quick sleeveless top, and my next dress is already cut out and partially sewn. Who knows, perhaps I’ll get photos AND write another post soon! Perhaps..