Liz’s Park Lane dress!
Hello everybody, my name is Liz and I am also known as @thebakerthatsews over on Instagram and Youtube.
I was absolutely delighted and excited to be asked to join the Felicity Fabrics blogger team. I have always believed that fabric shopping and sewing are indeed two separate hobbies so was more than happy to be given an opportunity to enjoy browsing their beautiful website. Felicity Fabrics source a wonderful range of fabrics and I found it difficult to choose one fabric! I settled however on the Lady McElroy Anisa Sketch smoke blue viscose fabric. I was drawn to the pale blue colour and really loved how the dots look like they’ve been painted on.
When the fabric arrived it was so buttery soft to hold and drapes beautifully. When you order fabric from Felicity Fabrics it arrives like a special gift ready to be opened. The fabric is carefully wrapped in tissue and enclosed in a cardboard box. One wonderful little detail that is included with your order is a swatch with the name of the fabric and how to care for it. This is such a clever little thing to include as it helps you remember what you’ve ordered and you instantly know how to wash the fabric before sewing with it.
As soon as I settled on the fabric I knew instantly what the perfect pattern would be. I wanted a pattern that would showcase the dot pattern and allow the fabric to do the talking and that pattern had to be the Nina Lee park lane dress. It comes with a blouse option or a midi dress and fastens at the back with a Rouleau loop and has a pretty key hole opening as well as an invisible zip. The skirt is slightly dropped at the front and back and it has delicate gathers at the waistline too. There are three different sleeve options and even the opportunity to add a ruffle at the shoulder!
Once my fabric had been pre-washed I gave it an iron to ensure at the creases were out before laying it flat and placing the pattern pieces on top. The pattern comes in sizes 6 – 20 and based on my measurements I cut out a size 8 but graded to a size for the hip area. My bust is 34 inches, my waist is 27 inches and my hips are 34 inches.
I find the process of cutting out a new project really exciting and therapeutic. I love the anticipation of wondering what the garment will look like sewn up in the fabric you have chosen. I use a mixture of pins and pattern weights to cut my projects out and take my time. With thr
I absolutely adore Nina Lee patterns as the instructions are so well written, they really guide you through the sewing process making it an incredibly enjoyable sew. I didn’t make any alterations to the pattern until I got to the sleeve cuffs. I decided I wanted to add elastic to the sleeve instead of a cuff. I like the effect the elastic creates. I was cross with myself once I had inserted the sleeves however as I had originally wanted to add the ruffle at the shoulder seam but forgot!! I discovered the pattern piece cut out once I had inserted my zip!! Never mind – I liked the finished sleeve as it is anyway.
Felicity Fabrics included a matching spool of thread so once the project was cut out and any facings interfaced I was ready to sew. I really enjoy this process too but have a terrible habit of getting impatient to finish! I really don’t enjoy leaving a project half sewn but often my sewing time is in the evening meaning I can’t always finish a garment on the same day. I never learn and this time round inserted my zip wrong twice due to tiredness! After the second attempt going wrong I knew that was time to stop for the night and try again the next day. This was completely my own fault – the pattern instructions are brilliant! The zip is inserted into the side which gives a really neat finish.
After inserting the zip correct the third time I was delighted with my new dress. All I had left to do was hem the skirt and add a loop for the key hole opening. I decided not to add a Rouleau hoop and instead added a hook and eye. It still gives the same pretty key hole finish on the back. I always like to leave my dresses to hang for a few days’ even if this isn’t recommended. I find it gives me the chance to finish the project properly and check my cutting out has been accurate enough too! After hemming the dress, I gave it a good press again and enjoyed walking around the house twirling and enjoying my new make! Please tell me I’m not the only one that does this when finishing a project?
Just as I have finished my dress the sunshine has decided to reappear in London. I can’t wait to wear my dress out and about. It feels so lovely to wear and the fabric is so soft against my skin. The pale blue colour is a wonderfully summery shade too.
I just wanted to say thank you to Caroline and Fliss for asking me to join the blogging team. I am honoured to join such a wonderful and creative team. Do take some time to have a look at all of the wonderful fabrics on the website and of course check out the patterns and haberdashery sections too. So much choice! Now I just need to invent a time machine to add extra hours to the day for all the sewing I want to do.
