Laurel dress (in the nick of time!)

Pattern: Laurel dress by Colette Patterns

Size: size 4 for the torso, graded up between a 6 and an 8 at the hips. The length is more or less of size 8.

Alterations: Lowered the bust dart by 1,5cm and shortened it by 1cm. Took the waist in slightly. Added in-seam pockets. Omitted the zipper.

(As you can see, I decided to add this quick list at the beginning of my posts, à la The Sew Weekly, House of Pinheiro, True Bias, etc. This is meant as a reference for those who are not interested in the rest of the post or are returning here looking for this information.)

If you follow me, on Twitter or Facebook, you might know that I started working on this dress just Saturday (which actually became Sunday night...). OOPS!

As every other seamstress on the Internet, I got incredibly excited when the Laurel dress contest was revealed over a month ago, so I purchased the pattern almost immediately, even though I wasn't completely in love with it.

I had planned to take my time with the muslin and had enough ideas for at least two versions.

But of course, I hadn't taken into account the fact that I SUCK at plans and that I'm the biggest procrastinator on Earth, so there I was, two days before the deadline with an ill-fitting muslin and not enough time to make the block printed fabric I would have wanted.

I couldn't just give up, so I made another muslin and went digging for fabric in my stash.

The first time around, I had cut a muslin for the blouse version, taking for granted it had the same fit as the dress.
Boy, was I wrong! The blouse has a weird armhole curve and was desperately calling for an FBA on me, while the dress fit me quite well since the beginning (I just had to move the bust dart slightly and adjust the side seams to my curves).

And at the muslin stage, I also noticed I could easily slip into and out of the dress without a zipper, so I happily omitted it.

If you add that the bottom and sleeves didn't need hemming because they were cut on a border print,  this dress took me little more than an hour to make, which is fantastic.

Actually, I couldn't cut one of the sleeves on the border, so i stitched as if it was a trim... Can you notice it? It's practically invisible!

This beautiful fabric is part of a precious gift my boyfriend's father made to me last year, he gave me these beautiful vintage batiks he had bought in Indonesia and kept for over 30 years. I used another piece to make a Hazel dress (again, from Colette patterns!) last summer.

These fabrics are even more dear to me now, since he passed away last winter, which still feels unbelievable to me. I know this is a great way to remember him.

Anyway, final thoughts on this dress: it was a surprise to me, but I really really love it! I was afraid this silhouette might look "nightgown-y" on me, and although it's probably not the most flattering for my body, I like it a lot. It's loose enough to be comfortable, but not as much as to be unflattering, and it's a great balance between casual and girly. I definitely understand why this pattern is getting so much love, now!

Who knows? This might not be the last Laurel I make...