A Stitching Odyssey: Floria Dress - By Hand London

I'm afraid there's no #FabricFriday today friends, as I'm catching a plane to Poland for our third and last wedding of the summer! But I do have my latest make to share, which also happens to be what I'm wearing to said wedding and also features gorgeous cotton sateen from Minerva Crafts, sent to me as part of their Blogger Network. Unfortunately, this specific print no longer seems to be available, but they stock an excellent range of cotton sateen to suit all tastes. 

Fabric chosen, it was time to pick a pattern that would do it justice. I couldn’t get By Hand London designs out of my mind, but with limited time I was torn between having a go at something new and going for a tried and tested pattern. I decided to compromise by pairing the new-to-me Sophia bodice with my beloved Flora skirt. The result, which I’m calling Floria, was everything I hoped for and more!

Pairing the two patterns was easy. I measured the bodice waistline against the skirt waistline before joining the two and adjusted my pleats accordingly to fit. Yep, it really was that easy! I’m a huge fan of full skirts which don’t add bulk to the waistline like gathering does, so the Flora skirt ticks all those boxes for me. But the real star of the Floria show is the bodice, with its angled darts for a vintage vibe and angled armholes exposing a bit of (sexy) shoulder. Just be aware that you’ll need a strapless bra to make the most of this bodice.

Cotton sateen has got to be one of my favourite fabrics to sew with. It washes well, handles easily and has just the right amount of stretch to make fitting a little more forgiving. And best of all, it holds its shape well despite the stretch factor, meaning no saggy waistlines after a few hours of wear! I lined my bodice with cotton lawn which is nice and breathable in this gloriously warm weather we’re having.

My sick dart and waistline matching is thanks to By Hand London's super simple, but super effective, trick!

My favourite thing about this dress is that I get to enjoy it at least twice – once at a wedding in Essex last Thursday and again at another wedding in Poland this Saturday! At the risk of photo overload, I'll leave you with a couple of shots taken in front of an aromatic wall of roses at last Thursday's wedding!

Pssst! Have you entered this month's #vintagepledge giveaway? There's free fabric up for grabs for two lucky winners! There's also discount codes for The Village Haberdashery and Abakhan!