FO: Lisette Portfolio dress, Simplicity 2245

I have been more excited about sewing this dress than any other project in ages.

I was desperate for the pattern to arrive in time for my long weekend, and only slightly knocked off my stride when it arrived on Day Two.

If it hadn't been for Standard Grade Maths, I would have finished it last weekend.

But I wanted to keep this as a happy project to immerse myself in, and the need to supply The Girl with advice, solace and chocolate brownies took priority. If I had tried to keep sewing through the steady anxious drip of questions about parabolas and standard deviation it would have been bad for the dress and bad for The Girl!

So: the dress!

Stats:

Pattern: Lisette Portfolio, Simplicity 2245

Fabric: Poppy Dot by Erin Mcmorris from the Park Slope collection for Free Spirit. I bought mine from Nerybeth maybe two years ago now? I was saving it for a special pattern. 2.5 metres was only just enough because I wanted to line up those blinking poppies.

Buttons: Two blue /grey buttons from the stash.

I cut a size 8, based on the "finished measurements" chart. This is important to note. My instinct was to cut a 10 or even a 12 until I realised that I didn't want to make a maternity smock! The back is narrower than the front, with slight shaping at the waist. This makes it fit far better than my straight-up-and-down Japanese pattern tunic. It skims the body.

The busy-ness of this print camouflages the details which attracted me to this design. Several other sewists have used a contrast fabric for the neckband and cuffs, but I was afraid that might turn it into childrenswear: a bit too "Oilily" for a 46-year old woman!

The truly great thing about this dress is its pockets.

"Pockets?!" you cry? "What can possibly be so great about the pockets?"

Well, they are integral to the side panel seams, and rather than lying completely flat, the construction method pushes the fabric forwards by about 3mm from the main side seam.

I am not explaining this well, but essentially there is a pivot point at the top of the pocket, which when you snip it, releases the pocket so that it hangs forward of the side seam, creating a lovely curved "bag" that drapes in alignment with the central panel.

These pockets are just asking to have something peeking out of the top. If this was a toddler's dress it would be a tiny teddy bear. But it could be a packet of herb seeds or a wooden spoon or a quiver of paintbrushes!

This is a creative person's dress. I tried it on and it made me feel like a painter, a potter, a cook, a gardener. Best of all? It made me smile! Instant happiness!

How was the sewing?

Straightforward. I had read about people struggling with the pocket pivot, so I read through a couple of "walk-throughs" in advance of stitching. Try here . But I would probably have been ok with the instructions given.

The neckband appeared too large at first, but careful pinning and slow stitching was all that was required.

I wouldn't have liked to use a really soft or slippery fabric. I think it works best with a crisp cotton or maybe linen. Something that holds its shape.

Verdict?

It is exactly what I wanted. A comfortable, practical, everyday dress to wear at home, either on its own or over jeans.

The sort of garment you put on in the morning and don't have to think about again all day. A "uniform" dress!

I would love one of these in denim, and maybe the tunic length in linen, and blouse-length in voile.

I would like to try piping down the sides of the central panel, perhaps; or embroidering the square at the neck, like Solvi. Or lining the pockets in a contrasting fabric, so that when I looked down I could see it winking at me!

So, um, yeah - it's a keeper! ;)

P.S. Please excuse ugly green parka and wellies: it was bucketting down with rain when FL took these "action shots" out of the car window!