Hot off the sewing machine! This is my second Cashmerette Holyoke dress. (I love my first version.) I really like this pattern: the dress is swishy, cool, and perfect for summer. The lack of fasteners (the buttons are a lie!) make it easy to pull on, and the elastic in the back waistband make it super comfortable. Oh, and big pockets! It’s easy and comfortable enough for an everyday dress, but I think it would also be appropriate to wear at a wedding or outdoor party, should I ever attend one.
Despite its familiarity, I had some trouble putting this dress together. I’ve altered the bodice so that the bust dart is a couple inches lower, but I think I forgot to redraft the facing accordingly, so I was left with a perplexingly misfitting facing when it came time to sew it together. I did some smooshing and snipping and it all came out in the end.
The button placket is sewn straight down, as it is with my earlier version. I left a few buttons “unbuttoned” at the bottom. I dithered a little about which buttons to use. I thought red might look a little juvenile, but I think these actually blend in nicely.
I made a size 16, as I did my previous version. Cashmerette’s size 16 fits me well, with the exception that I always need to lower the bust dart, as I mentioned.
The fabric is Moda’s “Growing Beautiful” rayon in teal, bought for $12.75 from Firecracker Fabrics (now sold out, I believe). It was an online impulse purchase, a splash of color that caught my eye in an advertisement somewhere. I just managed to squeeze the dress out of three yards, with only small scraps left over! The fabric feels cool to the touch and drapes beautifully and I’m very glad to have this dress.
I’ve been a slow sewer lately , for the worst of reasons: I find when I sit still my brain runs off in unwelcome directions, and I’ve thus been keeping moving almost constantly. The strictures of the quarantine are drastically loosened here: My daughter is able to play with her friends and attend camp, we’re going to museums and coffee shops and eating in restaurants again (though mostly outdoors). I’m told to expect in-person classes at UCLA this fall. It’s an enormous relief, a happy change.
Nothing is uncomplicated, though, and I find myself left with a sense of urgency about making up for lost time with my work — I’d like to finish a good chunk of my book this summer. Needless to say, I’ll be spending a lot of time at my desk. So I’m happy to have a field of wildflowers to wear while I’m at my computer.
Next on the list? I’ve been wanting a cool, fresh white linen top and purchased two yards of white linen from Fabrics-Store.com for the purpose. I haven’t yet matched it with a pattern however; I’m considering the newly redrafted Ogden cami, which includes bust darts, new sizes, and thicker straps.
May we all ease into the new season with optimism, compassion, and a commitment to be kind to others and ourselves.