Simplicity 1419 - Cherry Blossom Dress

You guuuuuys I am starting a sewing blog! 
Woooo!
Has there been failed attempts at starting a blog in the past due to lack of longterm sustainable commitment? Perhaps. 
But you know what. There's a pandemic. We are in lockdown (again). There is only so much dining table tennis one can play in a weekend (highly recommended for the indoor fun factor, not recommended if you actually.. you know... have a nice dining room table. Luckily ours is bought secondhand from some nice gentleman's garage we found off the internet). 

Also I like to ramble and there is only so much one can squeeze into the caption of an Instagram post before you induce thumb RSI to those rare few that follow you.

Anyway. Let us start off with this pink flowery spring time dress. Cos Spring is here. It seems appropriate 


Excuse the dorky posing. I'm still getting the hang of this okay?

This was the first time I made this pattern. Simplicity 1419 - which for a while was everywhere on the internet. Which I totes get why - its a straightforward silhouette, with both waist and bust darts for ease of fitting. AND it has a peter pan collar and bilateral pockets. What more could one want? 



I muslined the bodice prior to making this, and cut a size 8 based on the finished garment measurements. Adjustments included a SBA to account for small boobies (am I allowed to say boobies?), and narrowing the shoulders a smidge as I wasn't planning on adding sleeves. Shortening the hem to knee length. Overall the fit still needs a bit of work as you can see - there is a bit of excess fabric in the back, and also around the sleeve opening in the front, which will need taking out in the next version. 



The fabric is a cotton sateen from Spotlight, with the top bodice lined in a polyester pongee. Also I just noticed I didn't even zip this up in full for the picture!! Definitely still a novice at this photo taking business. 😅

Overall no complaints though - a good solid workhorse dress to go prancing about under cherry blossom trees with and unashamedly embrace your inner girliness. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flourish Coat

Image
This was probably one of the most ambitious sewing projects I’ve ever undertaken, and I am so thrilled with the outcome!  I was part of the sew and show team for the Flourish coat (where I was given a complimentary copy of the pattern in exchange for taking photos and sharing it on release). I was so stoked to be able to take part in this as I fell in love with the dramatic coat design when I first laid eyes on the line drawing months ago.  Initially I was going to make the collared version however a brief browse of "long coats with hoods" on Pinterest shortly changed my mind - I was swayed by the romanticism of the deep hood - like you could step right out of A Wheel of Time or something 😂. I also chose the sleeve tab option and the optional skirt lining Fitting details: I sewed a size D (my bust size put me between D and E but as I am still breastfeeding I felt like I could safely size down). I did make a toile and found that I needed to widen the shoulders by 1.5cm (it so...
Read more

Wayfarer Shoes

Image
I am stoked to be a part of the Storyteller Team at Twig and Tale  for 2026. I've loved being more involved in the T&T community since participating in a few of their sew and shows last year, and have consistently been impressed not only by the quality of their sewing patterns, but also by the company ethos around slow and intentional sewing, sustainability and diversity. The fact that they are a NZ based company just tops the cake!  The Storyteller theme for March was Rhythm . The first thing that leapt to mind for me was the pitter-patter rhythm of my wee toddler’s feet, as she had recently mastered the art of bipedal locomotion… Well, I say this, but the mastery is still somewhat questionable. At the moment, her footsteps carry the hurriedly erratic, drunken beat of someone with considerably more enthusiasm than skill, alarmingly frequently interrupted by a solid thump or two as she falls and gets up again. So I knew I wanted to make her a pair of Wayfarer shoes to...
Read more

Peppermint Slouchy Cardi

Image
 Alrighty guys, so these posts are totally not going to be in chronological order of makes, cos organization is totally overrated and I choose to blog at my whim.  This cardigan I just finished making this week (it is AMAZING the number of hours in a weekend you have to sew when you are stuck at home and unable to go out). It's a free pattern (LOVE IT) from Peppermint sewing school - the slouchy cardi .  I made it from a piece of merino remnant I had been hoarding for a year or two from The Fabric Store. (I have a problem with hoarding pretty fabrics. I buy them and then am too scared to cut into them lest I ruin it. So I put them carefully folded into boxes and then go off and buy more fabric. The cycle repeats and before you know it I have enough to start a small fabric shop of my own. Does anyone else have this issue?)  Anyway before I get shipped off to Fabricholic Anonymous I thought I'd better make some progress into my stash. I had read quite a lot of reviews ...
Read more