December 02, 2013

Sew: Liberty Lily Party Dress


Inspired by Rachel's modified Gabby dress, I made a modified Lily dress for Mr H's 3rd birthday party. Not that I need an excuse to make a Liberty party dress but it is the perfect time of year to crank out the summer party dresses. Mr N's birthday is in a month, so there may be another party dress in the planning stages. I think it might involve my Mood Ikat cotton...

I originally bought this fabric for a Cambie dress. Not sure what I was thinking but I quickly decided it was a bad idea. So it sat for almost a year waiting for a better plan. I really like Rachel's dress and I love a good sack dress on a hot day. The fabric just screams fun, party and ruffle to me. Anyone else get those vibes?? No? Oh well...


I started with the Lily dress pattern because I adore the neckline. I sized down from my previous Lily dress and then graded the side seams in 10cm on each side at the hip level. The ruffles needed to start at my high thigh so I cut the hem off at 80cm. The ruffle is a gathered 30cm strip of fabric the width of the fabric (attached front and back). I used a 6.5cm hem to give it a bit of weight (which failed) and stiffness at the hem.

Once sewn up, I had to play with the side seams to get the fit just right. I ended up taking in the side seams another centimetre at the top grading back out at the waist. The armholes and neckline are finished with self fabric bias binding.


The back grabs a bit on my undies and I should probably wear slinky undies but the skirt has a tendency to fly up in a gust of wind. So it's a fine line between good solid undies that you can show the world when a gust of wind presents itself or a pair of slinky undies that won't grab the fabric. Tough decisions, tough decisions. 

Overall, a perfect dress for a sunny afternoon BBQ with a bunch of kids under 5. It was lovely and Mr H had a wonderful time.

Project Details
Pattern: Tessuti Lily Linen Dress, size L, modified
Fabric: Liberty Pointillism in Red from Shaukat
Alterations: Shortened to 80cm from shoulder, reduced width by 10cm each side, added 30cm ruffle (6cm hem)


My boys are a little Lego obsessed. So I decided a Lego cake was in order for Mr H. It went down a treat and he was beside himself with excitement. It tasted pretty good as well!



L x




12 comments:

  1. I LOVE this. The the fabric is GREAT and I love the style. I think there may be too many modifications for a newbie like me, but I did see a similar pattern somewhere that I could possibly handle.

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  2. Fantastic dress! And fantastic party - Little M asked for more Lego cake this morning. The blue one.

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  3. Great dress - it really does scream summer and party time. I think every woman understands the undies dilemma :)

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  4. I have the same fabric and am still trying to figure out what to do with it. I like your train of thought with the ruffle. I also have lego obsessed boys and recently made a lego head for James' birthday. fun fun fun!

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    1. Oh, a Lego head sounds awesome!! I did see them when having a look around. You'll have to send me a photo. I have a 5 year old birthday in early January...

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  5. It looks so cool and colourful - a wonderful dress on you Leith!

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  6. Great addition of the ruffle. It really makes it quite a step up from a 'sack' dress.

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  7. Great Lego cake, lego rules in my house too! Love the dress & ruffle, looks gorgeous. Can totally relate to the undies dilemma!

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  8. It's a gorgeous dress :) And the floaty look does you so well that I'm secretly pleased it didn't end up as a Cambie. Fabulous colours on you and love the cake!

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  9. Cute dress and cakes! I sent you an email, hope you got it. :)

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  10. Love the dress! So summery. I love the cake too. I made one for my husband's 40th (Engineers never grow out of Lego) - icing those small rounds was crazy difficult!

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    1. Thanks Claire. My husband is an engineer as well. Not sure who all the Lego is for, him or the boys...

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