Happy New Year, meet Shirley

I have just returned from spending Christmas and New Year in Melbourne. Oh the shopping I did! You Melbourne people have the best shops and sales. I needed to get home to Sydney and return to my more frugal self, away from the shoe outlets.

I got to spend time in Moggy's awesome sewing studio again. We had our traditional (we've done it twice, it is so a tradition) girls' sewing night with our friend S, and the result is a frock for S, which I have named Shirley.

S wanted a flouncey frock, with a full 'Mrs Partridge' style flounce; hence the name.
We used the sheath dress from New Look 6736, left out the neckline slash, made it slightly more A-line and pinned on a remnant of sheer-ish polyester from a too-short dress of S's which Moggy had just that minute taken up to top length. The frock fabric is a thick stretch cotton woven I bought at Rathdowne Fabrics and Remnants earlier that day. I love stretch wovens, so very comfortable to wear. I think I'll have to make one for myself. (I bought more of this fabric, and I nabbed the other half of the sheer poly offcut)

The facings are unusual in that you put in the large facing before sewing the side seams and then pull the garment right side out through the shoulder 'straps'. Takes a bit of effort, but the results are worth it. No flippy-out facings and it looks so neat. We didn't have a 22" zip, so I put in a 16" invisible zip in the middle of the centre back seam at Moggy's suggestion, after we checked that the neckline was wide enough to fit a head through without the zip opening up to the top. A blind hem and she was done!

Another example of a New Look frock fitting just right straight out of the packet. (we go by the finished garment measurements printed on the pattern tissue. Never fails with New Look)