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Sunday, September 22, 2013

Back to school Cambie

After a significant time away, I'm back to work on Monday.  Clearly, I need a back-to-school dress! Having just made a party dress using the gathered-skirt style, I whipped up the A-line version of the Cambie for work.  I love the tailored fit of this version and the slant pockets.  Man, this pattern is versatile!
The fabric is a peacock-blue double-wool with lycra (Britex, bought in the remnants department), perhaps a bit thick for this dress, but really lovely to sew and wear.  Because of the weight of the fabric, I went with a simple pleat on the "sleeve" instead of gathering the fabric.  And I love the result--seems a bit vintage-y and definitely suits the style of the dress.
I made a slight sway-back adjustment, which is an easy alteration with this particular pattern since there is are center back and waist seams.
Since the "sleeves" aren't too bulky, I can definitely wear a cardigan over this dress when it gets a little chilly; along with pockets, being"cardigan-able" is a super important feature of any me-made article of clothing.
For the inside, I used a super pale green bemberg lining and the sweetest navy and white polka dot stretch silk (Britex, also from the remnants department).   If only everyone could see the inside band of this dress!


  
I'm not going to lie, I struggled with the lining hem.  Ugh.  But I used lace hem tape for the wool, something I've never used before (really!), and, folks, I hand sewed the hem.  That is almost unheard-of for me, but I splurged and bought some silk thread and that made it feel a bit like less of a chore.
A new school year, and a new dress.  Guess that's worth smiling about!
P.S.  Last year at this time, I made another back-to-school dress (with Britex fabric), here.  

17 comments:

  1. It's gorgeous! Love the color. It fits you beautifully.

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  2. I've been really on the fence with this pattern because it looked really picnic-y, if that's even a word, but I love, love your version. I think I'm going to try to make it now. It's a perfect back to school dress!

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  3. I love your dress. The color is amazing and it looks so perfect! The lace hem detail is great!

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  4. The fit is superb, and it's such a great color on you!

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  5. Anonymous5:41 PM

    Very pretty. Nice job on the lining and hems too.

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  6. Anonymous10:15 PM

    the single pleat instead of the gather is such a lovely little detail and the colour is gorgeous on you.

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  7. This fits you beautifully and is total understated chic. Congrats

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  8. Perfect fit, love the pockets.

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  9. The colour is stunning and the fit is amazing. A perfect dress.

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  10. The colour is stunning and the fit is amazing. A perfect dress.

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  11. The colour is stunning and the fit is amazing. A perfect dress.

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  12. It's beautiful Nicole, the colour really suits you! It looks so tailored as it fits you well, you're a gem!!

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  13. I love the simplicity of this dress. The solid color is really lovely and shows off how nicely made your dress is. Also, your sleeve modification is a great idea!

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  14. So beautifully made! I love it all!

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  15. well made

    my props to you

    keep up the good work

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  16. This is simply smashing! I love the pleat- it gives a really polished finish!

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  17. So pretty and the color is great on you! I like what you did with the pleat in the sleeve.

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