Simply Parfait!

In the midst of my busy May month, I put together this dress. It’s quite lovely, no? I started cutting the fabric before I left for Italy to meet up with my parents, actually wanting to make it before I left, but I of course had to choose a dress with a million pieces, so yeah, that did not happen.

I had made a wearable muslin last year. I made it from white and black fabric, therefore see-through, so instead of using the facing, which is how the pattern is designed, I decided to make a lining. I just cut out all of the pieces in both fabric and lining, then attached it like you would a facing. It turned out pretty well. The bodice had a little bit gaping on the sides and back, but nothing too noticeable. I made sure to take 1cm out of the sides for this make.

For this one, I followed all instructions. They were very easy to follow and the pattern pieces fit together so easily (if you remember to put in all of the notches). And even though there were a lot of pieces, it came together relatively quickly because it doesn’t have a lining. My only regret is that I used a regular zipper instead of an invisible zipper. However, this dress was made completely from items in my stash, which I’m quite proud of. I am also not completely crazy about the fit. Despite the gaping, I feel like the muslin fits better. This one still gapes in the back a bit, but I also find the bodice front looks a bit ‘droopy’ across my bust. I’ve seen a lot of versions of this dress and in all of them, the bust fits quite tightly. I’m just going to attribute it to the fabric, as linen is a strange creature indeed.

This was my first time working with linen. I can’t help but think it’s a strange material to work with. It’s flowy like chiffon, but doesn’t slip while you sew. It’s also a bugger to cut out because it doesn’t want to lay straight on-grain.

The other change I made was to sew the buttons directly through the strap pieces. For one, I didn’t have time to mess around with button holes, and two, I’m never going to undo them anyway.

You would think with all of my moaning about the fit that I don’t like this dress, but I really do like it. Besides it being comfortable and light for summer, I really love the print! The colours are just perfect for my complexion. I’m just a tiny bit sad that the colours bled so much when I did the pre-wash. The light purple parts used to be white, btw. But it’s so important to pre-wash linen because it shrinks like crazy. Both ways! And I don’t like to risk pre-washing my fabrics in cold water in case they accidentally end up in a warm or hot wash in the future, you know.

All the deets in a row:

Pattern: Colette Patterns Parfait Dress

Fabric: Linen (blend?) I got at the fabric market last year.

Notions: 2 – 2cm buttons, interfacing, 40cm zipper, thread

Changes: I left out the patch pockets and used a regular zipper instead of a invisible zipper. I might add the pockets later…

Would you make it again? Probably, but not soon because I have so many other lovely dresses on my to-sew list.

And now I shall leave you with twirly goodness.