ERTUIJGDFIGDIRHGOARHGOJGS!!!!! I just typed up a lovely post detailing the construction of my Lonsdale dress, added photos and links, clicked “publish”, and… a six-word post appeared with no sign of the glorious original anywhere. Sigh. Alright. Take 2.
On the plus side, I’m finally finished with something! Meet Lady Lonsdale!
She's a little loud, no?
She’s a saucy little number from Sewaholic Patterns, and I think we’re in love! As I’m sure I’ve mentioned, I’m not a fan of prints and I definitely never wear florals, but I really like this dress. Even if I feel really… conspicuous… in it.
Seriously, I look like I escaped from the set of "Hawaii Five-0"!
Construction was smooth sailing thanks to Tasia’s mega-helpful sew-along posts. Seriously, if you’re a beginner or you’re at all on the fence about this dress, just look through these posts. It couldn’t be easier to put together a dress (well, maybe if I had a sewing fairy to whisper helpful advice about every project)!
I'm a fancy lady! I can curtsy and everything!
I added bust padding using Sunni’s tutorial (it was a bit tedious, but mostly due to my idiocy), and I used an invisible zipper instead of a regular one. I followed Tasia’s advice and used the fabric selvages as a substitute for Stay-Tape to help stop the bodice from stretching out. I also did a swayback adjustment, so my waistband is nice and straight all the way around– yay! The only issue I had was that the waistband was about an inch and a half shorter than the bodice and the skirt pieces. I’m still not sure how this happened, but I shaved off 5/8″ on either side and the whole thing fits perfectly now. Whew! I’m pretty sure I got lucky.
All tied up with a bow, like a gift to myself!
I’m not going to show you the inside of the dress as it turned out a bit sloppier than I had hoped. I used French seams on the skirt’s side seams, but due to my tinkering to make the waistband fit, I ended up just zigzagging the center and back seams. Also, I made an annoying mistake– instead of stitching just the outer waistband to the skirt, I sewed both waistbands to it together, and I trimmed the seam allowance before I noticed that I was supposed to slipstitch the inner waistband down. This would have been super neat and tidy, but alas! I had to zigzag the raw edges instead.
Overall, though, I feel like I learned a lot from the project and from the sew-along! I definitely recommend this pattern– I just wish there was more summer weather left for me to wear it!
What are you guys working on? How are your projects coming along?
Ginger Makes... 
Post a pic!
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Ugh, just did! Somehow my original post didn’t go up correctly and only the first sentence was published! So I just re-did it… blerg. This dress would look super cute on you! We better add it to the queue!
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‘I look like I escaped from the set of “Hawaii Five-0″‘ . . . you say that like it’s a bad thing . . .
Your dress looks FABULOUS, and if you’re conspicuous, it’s only because of the awesomeness of your new dress!
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Hahahahahahahahaha!!
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This looks great!
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The floral print suits you really well in my humble opinion 🙂 It’s definitely the right color for you too. Great job!
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It’s lovely! I’m sure you won’t feel too conspicuous when you’ve worn it a few times too. 🙂
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You are the best kind of conspicuous in that dress- you look great!
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Thanks, everyone! If you haven’t tried this dress yet, you should really think about it! I’ve found that it looks super flattering on all kinds of shapes and it’s such a nice dress to construct!
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Gorgeous dress! I definitely second your opinion of the pattern. It’s so fun and flattering. I love your fabric, too. Sometimes it’s fun to do something a bit different when you’re making it for yourself. A bit of Hawaii is a good thing!
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This is gorgeous! You should so start wearing more floral prints and vivid colours, they clearly suit you very well ;o)
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Lovely and fun Lonsdale’s version! And the floral print really flatters you 😉
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I don’t think it’s too loud at all! But then, I’m a printoholic. 🙂
Seriously, it’s a very flattering look.
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It’s not loud at all, it’s simply perfect! Perhaps you are not used to wearing print, but prints certainly look great on you. An awesome dress, Ms. Ginger Makes!
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Thanks again, all! You guys are too kind!
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Hey your dress is lovely. What a fantastic job you did, and I love the fabric. It looks lovely on you 🙂
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Thank you so very much!
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Too loud?!? No way–it’s gorgeous! Congratulations on a job well done! You look FABULOUS in it!!
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Thanks, gal!!
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Oh, this is lovely. It makes me want to make another one!
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Thanks very much! Your Lonsdale dress makes me want to make one in a more sophisticated solid color!
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Very nice, I think this is my favorite Lonsdale I’ve seen so far! Really looks great on you!
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Thank you SO much! That’s so sweet of you to say!
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I agree! It’s my favorite too!
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Thanks! I’m digging your blog!
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This is so lovely! And it looks great on you! I’m digging that pattern:)
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Thank you so much! Make one!!
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I agree with everyone else – just fabulous!! Also, who has time for inconspicuous fabric? I say Hawaii all the way!
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Thanks so much! 🙂
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I just stumbled upon your dress, and I absolutely love it! You did an excellent job with all your adjustments…it fits beautifully.
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Thank you so very much! 🙂
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Very cute. That colour totally suits you.
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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I’ve just bought the pattern and can’t tell if seam allowances are included within the size of the pattern pieces or do I have to add them on myself? What did you do?
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Hi! They have a 5/8″ (1.5cm) seam allowance already built in. 🙂
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Thanks so much for the quick response. Will be cutting out my pieces today.
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My pleasure! Happy sewing!
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