Coffee and Cocktails #dayandnightdresschallenge

I did kind of mention this way back at the beginning of February but I had kind of decided that I just wouldn't get around to it ah well these things happen. Then the weather gave me snow days!!! Yippee! My children are too big to need me to go out and play in the snow so I have had three lovely extra days. Ok so I didn't get to spend all of it sewing but on Friday morning I decided that I would go for it and complete the challenge.

The Belledone dress by Dear and Doe was bought for my birthday last summer and it has been on my things to do list since then. One of the reasons that I hadn't got around to making it was quite simply the bias binding. All of the versions that I had seen, that I loved, had extra binding on the back detail. Well not only do I hate playing with bias binding I just couldn't work out how to add it for this detail so I kind of ended up procrastinating and just ignoring it.

Giving myself such a short deadline I didn't have time to fiddle about so I did two things that I rarely do.

1. I cut the pattern ( I can always get net printer to print me a pristine new one)

2 and this which is worse I cut a size smaller than I would usually make and kept everything crossed (I usually make it too big and then take it in)!

Luckily both of these extravagances paid off although I did have to adjust the zipper seam allowance in order to pull it up my back.

For Coffee I am wearing a Rose and Hubble cotton that I bought back in September from the Pound a yard store in Dewsbury. I had two metres and with a slightly lengthened skirt I had just enough. knew I wanted the bias binding to be a feature and when I saw this hot pink on Saturday In my local Samual Taylors I knew I had found it.

So if you are interested to add bias binding to the back just follow the folding instructions for the back pieces and then add the bias binding over the top. I also decided to add it to the waistband. For the bias binding at the waist I folded the bias binding in half and then sewed that seam with a 1/4 inch seam allowance instead of the usual. 

The dress turned out exactly as I envisaged. My DH said it was too nice for a coffee date and my daughter said it was the nicest thing I have ever made myself. In all honesty, the bias binding isn't perfect ( anything but) I think it is only me that will notice!!

For Cocktails ( or for a dinner date with my husband later this month) I used the scraps leftover from my youngest daughter's prom dress. 

I trimmed it with black bias binding from my stash. This bias binding is synthetic and was much easier to work with but even this wasn't perfect. I realise it probably won't get that much wear as it really isn't that practical. Who cares ! 

I love this dress not only is it really pretty but it makes me think of my children at Prom.

Both dresses were made exactly to the pattern... well except for the extra bias binding and extra skirt length:) It was really nice making two of the same thing at once. I used to do it all the time when the twins were little. It actually doesn't take any more time than making one. I maybe should keep that in mind for my future makes!

Till next time happy stitching!!

Arianwen x