A “Back to Basics” Outfit by Veronica Darling

The Facts

Fabric: Thrifted Cotton, from the stash, probably $3

Pantone Challenge colors: Emerald, Turbulence & Vivacious

Pattern: Style 3109, from the Pattern & Notions Swap!

Year: 1971

Notions: Vintage Zip, thrifted

Time to complete: 4 hours

First worn: Monday, for the photos
Wear again? Maybe, but I’m not in love with it!
Total Cost: $3

Hello again! Here we all are! AMAZING! With so much time to sew, I of course procrastinated and googled up the Pantone Colours every other day instead of actually sewing anything til the last possible minute! And with a very active 11 month old baby in the house, it has been hard finding some alone time in the sewing room!

I flipped a lot around in my stash fabric, trying to find the right combination. I do love all the bright colours, but as I’m still finding my own look and style at the moment, I couldn’t really settle on anything! My inspiration came with my darling Dottie Doodle’s Pattern & Notions Swap, with the 1970s pattern!

View B is pretty much a shift dress, and simple enough for me to get back to basics! My stash fabric has been with me since maybe 2008, but I can’t remember where it came from, quite possibly an op shop in Sydney, but I originally had about 6 metres of it! I’ve made this fuller skirted dress before from the same crazy fabric, in 2010 and after making this dress, I still have enough for another outfit! If any of you have seen it before, I’d love to know it’s origins! And how perfect that it combines Emerald & Turbulence in the same pattern? Quite a qwinky dink!

The fabric is so weird & great:

I didn’t do any pattern placement on the fabric, as it’s all just bizarre! The Style pattern itself was very easy to follow, and as usual I ditched the armhole & neck facings for just bias tape and most of my time was spent handstitching (is it called whipstitch where you can’t see the thread from the right side?) that in place and ironing it flat.

As I was topstitching the ‘faux’ panels (to then add the buttons & belt), it dawned on me that the whole fabric is so busy that adding a belt AND buttons would just make it too yukko busy, so instead I left the hem flaps to make it a little different than just a shift dress.

Of course, with hindsight, I should have resized the pattern a bit. Oh and here’s the bit where I meant to give a warning: I’m going to talk about my boobs! As I’m breastfeeding, and usually a little ‘top heavy’, I’m a bit out of whack size-wise so the Style pattern was EXACTLY my bust measurements… but maybe not quite right for the rest of me. I should have shortened the shoulder seams (as I forgot I’m always short here), and even brought it all in instead of just shortened the hem (you know the bit on the waistline that most patterns say shorten here? I ALWAYS shorten at least an inch as I’m petite) … ANYWAYS I added darts in the back because the whole thing looked oversized and too boxy for a petite shift dress. But I think it looks normal now, but if I slouch you can see the shoulders are a bit too big. STAND UP STRAIGHT MISSY!

I’m kinda thinking the “Back to Basics” dress will also be a Back to Work dress? Oh and the scarf is a piece of ribbed jersey (also from the stash) that I thought would jazz up the colours! And looks like a vivacious pink to me?!

And my assistant was far too interested in the passing trains to be of any photography or style help! So hard to get good help these days!

Love to you all and cannot wait to see all our creations together this week! What a wonderful response so far & good on you for sewing along and good on you ESPECIALLY if you’ve been inspired to sew from the Sew Weekly! Cheers & Congrats on a gorgeous reunion! xoxo

About Amelia * Veronica Darling

As Veronica Darling, Amelia blogs about sewing in Shanghai where she moved with her little family in late 2014. She's been sewing enthusiastically since 2001. In 2016, join Amelia for blogging workshops at M on the Bund's Glam Bar.

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