I started this before Christmas. I had just finished my Anna Tunic and was on a dress-making high. I had seen many pictures of the Socialite Dress on Flickr so I thought I would give it a whirl.
I used some really old fabric I had stashed away. It’s a cotton/elastic mix and I think I must have had about two metres of it.
The problem is that it is very see-through so I made the decision to line it, even though it’s not in the pattern. This altered the final drape of the dress, as you can see. It is a bit stiffer.
As you can see, there is a mega amount of gathers.
Front view
Back view
This was all fine but when I came to do the lining, I had to do the same thing all over again. It was tedious but good experience. I think if I had a more drapey fabric, the sheer volume of gathers on the back wouldn’t balloon so much.
Really, the deciding factor about this dress was the pockets. It has big pockets making it the perfect pottering-about-at-home dress.
The pattern was good, if not as clear as the Amy Butler one, and all my notches lined up no problem. I’d like to try another of her patterns, the Roundabout Dress, in the recommended voile to try out sewing something more drapey.
Wow – it looks great! Hope we get the weather for it. I prefer your one to the one the link is to.