Finished Sureau

Here is my finished Sureau.  And I love it!  I did contemplate sleeves - I even cut them out- but then I looked at the forecast for the next 10 days in Melbourne and decided that sleeveless would be way more wearable.   The fabric is some $3 a metre cotton from Spotlight that has been sitting in the stash for quite some time and the buttons are from the op shop.

There were a few moments of doubt when making this:  I thought that I may have committed the sewing sin of unfortunate patten placement when I forgot to check the pattern on the bodice before cutting the pieces out on the fold.  It could be better, but at least I don't have two flowers directly centred where they shouldn't be... I also wondered about the length. It seemed a little short, but adding to the bodice and making a teeny hem helped...

I made a few alterations:  Like my Belladone dress, I cut out a size 38. I  took 1cm out of the back piece (2cm total) and I added an inch (not sure why I thought using a combination of metric and imperial was a good idea but never mind) to the length of the bodice so that it would hit my natural waist.  I also adjusted the shoulder line to deal with some gaping at the front, increasing the seam by about 1.5cm towards the neck. Paunnet's tutorials were very helpful with both these alterations.

I had a few issues with my gathering, especially the bust gathers which are a little uneven, but it's not all that noticeable with the print.

Like Amanda, my facings went in without a hitch and thanks to the top stitching are staying where they should be.  I use my Grainline tee instructions to finish the armholes with bias strips, catching the neck facing as I sewed them down.

And the zip?  Well, actually there isn't one! Due to the fairly low neckline and my abnormally narrow shoulders I can actually get this dress on without one. It isn't pretty watching me do this but as I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to putting in zips, it's a win in my books.

I love the faux (this is a French pattern after all) buttons down the front and I think they give the opportunity to add extra interest to this dress, like this lovely version here.  Mine are a boring brown, but if you look closely you can see that don't quite match, which I kind of like. I spaced them a little differently, and the last one finishes a little higher up so that I can wear a belt with the dress.

I did really small hem on this dress - overlocked edge and just about a cm turned up because I wanted to wear it to work, but I think it would look great shorter too, especially with tights for winter.   I've already worn this dress twice and it's prefect for hot weather. The cotton is cool and the fit is loose enough to be comfy.   I'm already planning my next version with sleeves in some lovely rose-printed silk scored at the op shop for $3.99.

The details

Sureau dress pattern from Deer and Doe, $18 including part shipping
2m of cotton from Spotlight@ $3m = $6
4 buttons from the op shop 10c
Thread from op shop 10c

Total: $24.20

And a big  thanks to my lovely neighbour and blogger Humble Habit for taking the pics in her backyard :)