I was gifted the fabric for this blog post by Oyin at Lush Cloth. All views are as always my own!
How do you plan your makes? Since starting my sewing journey, the way I approach projects has really changed. Previously it was very fabric driven – I would fall for a fabric or print and snap it up without any real plans for what to make with it or indeed without thinking whether the colours fit in my wardrobe.
However, a few mistakes later I have learned the hard way that it is best for me to get fabric with a pattern in mind or to try and plan a project that coordinates with a previous make, therefore (hopefully) creating a coordinating wardrobe!
When Oyin at Lush Cloth asked if I would be interested to collaborate on a project I jumped at the chance! Oyin stocks incredible fabrics at brilliant prices and her customer service is second to none, I was really delighted to work with her and introduce you to to her store!
There are SO many fabrics to choose from in her store I felt a bit overwhelmed, so instead decided to step away from the website and instead start with Pinterest. I have a board organised into seasons and enjoy looking there for inspiration.
I fell in love firstly with this Rouje Clementine dress. I really like the Rouje style and previously have copied their dress which worked out well.
However on closer look I realised this maybe wasn’t the perfect dress for me. Gorgeous in principle, but wouldn’t look good on me in person.
Instead, I looked at the dress in detail to check which aspects of it I really liked and these were: long sleeves, accentuated waist, knee length, V neck.
Looking through my patterns, a recent favourite has been the Amelia Dress by Simple Sew which I made as part of their ambassador programme. It fitted me really well so I decided to try hacking the neckline to have a front placket and adding long sleeves for a winter version.
Note: the sizing on the Amelia is limited to a 48 hip. For a similar look you could hack the Seamwork Carter to have a V neck!
So with pattern decided, it was time to look at the fabric! I liked the aubergine shade of the original Rouje dress and thought this Leaf Flutter viscose would be a perfect match.
I have actually sewn with this fabric before in another colourway so knew the quality would be great, and wasn’t disappointed. This fabric is beautifully soft and a lovely weight. It is also really smooth and feels really sturdy despite being lightweight, which makes it perfect for autumn/winter layering pieces.
I was SO pleased with how this dress turned out! I hacked the neckline to add a placket by following this Melly Sews Youtube tutorial, but instead of using a facing finish I copied the construction from the Darling Ranges dress which you can see in a sewalong here.
For the sleeves, I used the sleeve from the Fibre Mood Ermine and added elastic to the cuffs. Next time I would like to try adapting the original sleeve which has no gathering, and adding a cuff like the Park Lane blouse.
The fabric was really lovely to sew with and washed really well. And at only 9.60 a metre, it’s an absolute bargain!!
I have already worn this dress a lot, including on a work trip to Barcelona. This is a great dress for going from work to drinks, by dressing it down with a comfy jumper and boots with a belt or a tailored jacket to keep it smart.
I hope you like this autumnal Amelia dress!
Modista Sewing 