Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Casual Coco for Summer

I have recently made a wonderful discovery locally...a new to me source for fabric and sewing notions..."Patchwork On The Bay". I had never paid this shop any attention as it is tucked away down a very quiet arcade. Out of sight and out of mind, and I assumed it would be all patchwork/quilting fabric and supplies. But I was wrong! They also stock some wonderful cotton shirting fabrics as well as a large selection of buttons and trims, etc. The business owner is also very helpful. (More than I can say for the other fabric/sewing shop in town). There is a bargain table out the front where I have picked up some lovely knits...mainly interlocks and that is where I found this lovely print for my Coco.

I just loved the fresh colours in this striped print and I thought it would make a lovely summer Coco dress. I made a size 5, as usual and kept the flared A-line skirt. I shortened the sleeves and added some width to make them nice and loose. After wearing my last Coco, I found the short sleeves restricted movement a little. This may have been due to the ponte which is quite different from this interlock. I may have gone overboard on the sleeve widening but they are very comfortable and cool.

I did a pretty good job on matching the stripes on the side seams. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough fabric to match the stripes on the sleeves, but I don't think they look too bad.

I don't know the composition of this fabric, except that it does not contain any spandex. It drapes well and does not crease. Got to love a dress you don't need to iron. Most of the construction was done on the overlocker.

I turned up 2cm hems on the sleeves and the skirt and sewed with a twin needle. I had white thread in one needle and navy blue in the other. This was largely due to sheer laziness as I didn't have another reel of white thread and couldn't be bothered to stop and wind a bobbin. I thought the navy thread would tie in nicely with the navy print.

I used a cotton/lycra knit binding on the neckline, turned completely to the inside and top stitched with a twin needle. This resulted in a neckline that sits flat and snug against the body, thanks to the lycra component.

A casual Coco perfect for relaxing on the weekend.
Many thanks to my darling husband for taking these photos for me, and many thanks to my Mother and her husband for the use of their pretty garden. 
Happy Sewing
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12 comments:

  1. EleanorKrause22 January 2015 at 00:59

    Lovely print!

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    1. Sew, Jean Margaret22 January 2015 at 19:05

      Thanks GingerThreads. I loved the colours in the print as soon as I saw it.

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  2. BeaJay22 January 2015 at 08:29

    Great dress. It is fresh as you say. Please explain the cotton lycra band on the neckline. How do you do that? Do you sew a band to the fabric you have and then turn it under? I normally just turn the dress fabric under so I am interested in this technique. Love your hydrangeas.

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    1. Sew, Jean Margaret22 January 2015 at 19:35

      Thanks so much BeaJay. I have added another photo showing more detail about the neck binding. I cut a strip of cotton/lycra approx 3/4 the length of the neck opening and about 5cm wide. I sew the short ends together creating a circle. Fold binding in half aligning raw edges together. Pin, stretching slightly as you go, to the right side of the neckline and stitch. Turn binding over to the inside of the garment, covering the seam allowances. Pin again and stitch from the right side using a twin needle. I did this because the main fabric had no spandex and therefore almost zero recovery. If I had just turned the dress fabric under and stitched, the neckline probably would have stretched out of shape.

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  3. Sharon22 January 2015 at 13:27

    Very pretty summer Coco, the colours in the stripe are lovely and it looks so fresh and cool for summer.

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    1. Sew, Jean Margaret22 January 2015 at 19:39

      Thanks for your lovely comment Sharon. I think this will be a favourite for weekend wear.

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  4. Gabrielle22 January 2015 at 20:00

    You match the hydrangeas! It's very pretty, and I think the different print on the sleeves looks deliberate ! I hope your new found local fabric shop continues to stock fun fabrics for you.

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    1. Sew, Jean Margaret22 January 2015 at 22:17

      Thanks Gabrielle. Mum's hydrangeas have been magnificent this summer. It is nice to be able to touch the fabric before buying. Ordering fabric online can be such a lottery.

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  5. Carolyn23 January 2015 at 00:53

    Your dress looks so fresh and pretty, especially pictured against those magnificent hydrangeas! Such beauties! And YAY! for finding a great local fabric store :)

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    1. Sew, Jean Margaret23 January 2015 at 19:57

      Thank you Carolyn for your lovely comment. I feel good wearing these colours, and I did match in with the hydrangeas.

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  6. Anonymous23 January 2015 at 02:56

    Great find on that fabric! I actually really like the way the bright purple circles the hem of each sleeve as opposed to lining up exactly with the rest of the dress. And your neckline turned out beautifully! Last but not least, I cannot neglect to mention how incredible those hydrangeas are--WOW!

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    1. Sew, Jean Margaret23 January 2015 at 19:59

      I'm glad you like my dress Mads. Thanks for your nice comments and I will be sure to pass on your lovely comments about the hydrangeas too. Unfortunately they are in my Mother's garden, not mine.

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