Saltspring Dress Times Two

Like everyone else, I assume (?!), I am in complete awe of the endless supply of dresses to be conjured and sewn up by Rosin of But it can't be from Dolly Clackett. She gave me an Easter egg! and many other prolific bloggers. My day-to-day uniform generally consists of skirts and dresses. But my me-made-items have involved mostly very simple blouses, tanks and PJ's.

I thought that Sewaholic's Saltspring Dress would be a nice-and-easy transition into sewing dresses. I made up my first Saltspring around the time of the sew-along but I wasn't blogging. Not too long after that I made a second Saltspring. So, here they are, better late than never...?

For my first version I followed the instructions exactly. The dress came together quickly with no major hassles along the way. One of the great things about this dress is the lack of fitting requirements. The dress is loose fitting, blousey, cinched in at the waist with elastic, and the straps are tied. If you cut your approximate size and alter the elastic and shoulders ties accordingly it should fit reasonably well.  

For both versions of my Saltspring I used cotton lawn from spotlight. The fabric probably isn't as drapey as is recommended for the dress. This might be why I was so unsatisfied with how my first dress turned out. When I finished it I thought it looked beautiful. That is to say, it looked beautiful on the coat hanger. When I'm wearing the dress I find the blouseyness just too much! It's unflattering on me. Another factor might be that I'm quite short torsoed. Also, I didn't line the skirt and I wonder whether this adds to the heavy-up-top look of the dress on me. Like others, I also noticed that I could get the dress on and off without using the zipper.

 So, obviously, I needed to make another version!

For my second version I removed the zipper and the centre back seams, added a lining to the skirt, and used the bodice lining pieces for the bodice and the lining. Also, this version has tiny rabbits on it! I think this version suits me much more. 

I'm looking forward to wearing both my Saltsprings this summer but in the meantime they are being paired with tights, cardigans and scarves. It's been very chilly in Melbourne the last couple of weeks. I think the colours in my second dress are particularly versatile and will be great in autumn 2014. 

Sewaholic's Saltspring was a great introduction to dresses for me. The pattern instructions are very clear and the pattern was simple enough for me to feel confident in adapting it ever so slightly. Not sure if I'll make a third version, but if I do I will probably do a copycat of this divine black silk maxi version sewn by Reves Mecanique.

You will notice I ventured outside the house for these photos! There is a beautiful mural on the wall of IGA in my local tiny shopping strip depicting the old-fashion village shops. Obviously, I said hello to the horsey.