This post contains gifted fabric. As usual, all reviews and thoughts are my own!
Spring is feeling like it’s ready to bloom here in Amsterdam, with the daffodils and tulips doing their best to brighten my days in lockdown. After some really sunny days I was inspired to try and manifest a safe and smooth easing of lockdown to when we can be back on terraces drinking a spritz in the sunshine.
As part of the Minerva Ambassador Team I am able to choose fabric here and there to test for them on a blog post on my Minerva page. If you haven’t set up a Minerva account just yet I’d recommend it, it’s a really fun community and especially like how you can tag your makes to the fabric, helping others get an idea of how it looks as a garment!
I received this spotty viscose challis and it screamed both Pretty Woman and cocktails on a terrace to me so I knew it needed to be a spring/summer dress.
I was inspired by the Ogden Cami hack Sylivia aka The Ravel Out made – it looks so effortless!
I had already done a 2 inch small bust adjustment on the Ogden to accommodate my A cup bust. I then lengthened the bodice, cheating by using a straight skirt from another pattern and lining it up with the bottom of the Ogden cami. It’s a quick and easy way to ensure you get a straight line without having to trace it out!
I then added a ruffle which was approx 1.5 x the width of the bottom hem to have some nice gathering.
One issue I continually have with the Ogden is that the facing INSISTS on popping out, no matter what I do. A definite side effect of the lockdown is I am usually on the edge of tears at any minor inconvenience these days and after two toiles, redrafting the facing and stitching again, this neckline almost defeated me. I can narrow it down to a couple of things – if you are also having problems with a facing you might try these :
Troubleshooting a rebellious facing…
- When understitching, always sew from the outer points in to the centre of the neckline, one at a time. Sewing in one fell swoop can risk stretching the neckline
- Remember to stay stitch before starting your garment
- When doing an adjustment to a pattern (eg SBA) you may need to redraft your facing. You do this by tracing off your adjusted pattern
- It has been suggested I might need to add a smidge of width to the centre of the bodice ie 0.5cm as the straps aren’t far apart for me. I will try this next time
- You might want to understitch by hand – I personally really like doing this but know it can be a hassle!
- When all else fails….top stitch.
It was clear at least that the weight of the extended skirt and ruffle was pulling down the bodice and making the facing pop out even more. I also like a little definition on my waist so decided to make a quick and easy belt. I measured my waist and added 2 inches and a seam allowance. I then interfaced and stitched the belt, with two button holes for my lovely shell buttons.
This made a huge difference to the look of the dress in my opinion and I was very happy with it in the end! I can picture this styled casually over a t-shirt and with denim jacket for summer or with heels to be more dressed up.
I hope you like my Ogden Cami hack and it’s got you imagining summer terrace dresses! At this rate the terrace will be my balcony, but at least I’ll be well dressed 🙂
Modista Sewing 