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