So after I made my Ruby top in soft and cool rayon I really fancied another garment in the same type of fabric. For these hot summer days we're having rayon and viscose challis are godsent.
I had two metres of some pretty cheap viscose challis I bought from Minerva Crafts last year and thought I'd do something with that. I wasn't quite sure about which pattern, but felt like I should use one I already had instead of buying a new one, in the spirit of working through my stash.
I had bought the Pauline Alice Eliana dress pattern ages ago and then just never used it. I don't really know why I bought it, because I didn't think the shape of the dress would suit me. And I had read a few blog posts that described little issues, like the armholes being very large. But because I had it and the fabric was pretty inexpensive, I decided to give it a go anyway. If it didn't come out well, nothing lost.
But! It came out amazingly! I LOVE how it fits! It has become my favourite dress for this summer! So floaty and cool, yet still looks quite put together and presentable.
I didn't include pockets. Only because my fabric is very thin and fine and I didn't want the bulk.
In terms of the fit, the first thing I changed was the position of the waist. On some of the images I've seen of the dress I thought the waist looked a bit low, so instead of sewing the skirt to the bodice, I just basted it, and then used a belt to tie it to test where it would sit on the torso once done up with the waist ties. It was a little bit too low down for my liking, so I just moved it up by about 2 cm.
The second thing was on the sides. Before I finished the side seams I checked the fit, and I felt the dress was way too loose around the waist. Ok around the bust and hips though. So I removed about 3 cm total on each side. If I make this pattern again (I'm very tempted to) I'll just grade down to a smaller size at the waist.
And if I do make another Eliana dress I'll change two more things. First, I'll make the bias binding for the neck ever so slightly wider. Mine was a bit too narrow to catch the volume of the gathered neckline properly and I ended up with lots of ugly stitches where I was correcting and fixing this. Ok, some of this is down to the fact that I was watching the football and drinking wine when sewing. But another 0.5 cm on the binding width would just make it easier.
Second, I'd take out a few centimetres at the back. There's just that little bit too much fabric there right now.
But on the whole, I'm superhappy with this dress. And I think the cheap fabric and (initially) unloved pattern are the perfect match! I'll be living in this as long as this heatwave lasts.
I wore it for an evening walk the other day, when I took these photos, and picked some willow herb. This time just for a meadow flower bouquet for the kitchen table, but next time I think I'll have a go at making some cordial out of them. Can you make anything else from them? If you have any good tips, comment below!
But how beautiful are they? I know that for gardeners willow herb can be a real pest, but on meadows and along train tracks they just look lovely. Summer and nature really are two of my favourite things. Despite the joy of being able to wear summer dresses every day, I'm hoping for a bit of rain, so all plants get a chance to recover from this crazy heat.
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