Sew: Liberty Lily Party Dress

Inspired by Rachel's modified Gabby dress, I made a modified Lily dress for Mr H's 3rd birthday party. Not that I need an excuse to make a Liberty party dress but it is the perfect time of year to crank out the summer party dresses. Mr N's birthday is in a month, so there may be another party dress in the planning stages. I think it might involve my Mood Ikat cotton...

I originally bought this fabric for a Cambie dress. Not sure what I was thinking but I quickly decided it was a bad idea. So it sat for almost a year waiting for a better plan. I really like Rachel's dress and I love a good sack dress on a hot day. The fabric just screams fun, party and ruffle to me. Anyone else get those vibes?? No? Oh well...

I started with the Lily dress pattern because I adore the neckline. I sized down from my previous Lily dress and then graded the side seams in 10cm on each side at the hip level. The ruffles needed to start at my high thigh so I cut the hem off at 80cm. The ruffle is a gathered 30cm strip of fabric the width of the fabric (attached front and back). I used a 6.5cm hem to give it a bit of weight (which failed) and stiffness at the hem.

Once sewn up, I had to play with the side seams to get the fit just right. I ended up taking in the side seams another centimetre at the top grading back out at the waist. The armholes and neckline are finished with self fabric bias binding.

The back grabs a bit on my undies and I should probably wear slinky undies but the skirt has a tendency to fly up in a gust of wind. So it's a fine line between good solid undies that you can show the world when a gust of wind presents itself or a pair of slinky undies that won't grab the fabric. Tough decisions, tough decisions.
Overall, a perfect dress for a sunny afternoon BBQ with a bunch of kids under 5. It was lovely and Mr H had a wonderful time.

Project Details
Pattern: Tessuti Lily Linen Dress, size L, modified
Fabric: Liberty Pointillism in Red from Shaukat
Alterations: Shortened to 80cm from shoulder, reduced width by 10cm each side, added 30cm ruffle (6cm hem)

My boys are a little Lego obsessed. So I decided a Lego cake was in order for Mr H. It went down a treat and he was beside himself with excitement. It tasted pretty good as well!

L x