OOP Simplicity 5538 Posh Frock for Matilda

 Hallo, I have missed you!

I think I have mastered the new Blogger....

And.... I have made Tildy a new posh frock.

*Let's take a moment to be astounded at how grown up she is all of a sudden*

The pattern is the vintage OOP Simplicity  5538. A floaty, youthful style from 1973 that is still very much in vogue now.

The fabric is a gorgeous, hail spot muslin with a deep, embroidered hem in a khaki green.

So soft and floaty!

I purchase it from a favourite eBay seller massdestash 

Do have a look, Andree is lovely and has some beautiful fabric for sale from her and her friends huge stash.

I have made a very similar style dress, for Elsa, a good six years ago.

So I knew the waist panel was interfaced but not lined which I was not happy with.

So I self lined with the fabric.

I also used a layer of Sheer-weft interfacing on the outside panel.

Because the fabric was so sheer and Tilly wanted some swish, I lined the dress with some good quality Bemsilk. 

I chose to lay my pieces, wrong sides together, and then treat them as one, it makes it easier to fit and adjust(in the future) as well as avoiding puckering and visible stitching lines from outside the finished garment.

The skirt was finished in the traditional, 'raw edges on the inside' finish and I 'tweaked' the invisible zipper to tuck it to the inside.

 The finished dress was so pretty!

I had enough of the embroidered hem to include it in the front, waist panel.

I chose not to do any topstitching to play up the 'bespoke' feel of the dress.

I am not a huge fan of invisible zippers. I find them too delicate and often have to replace them but I decided to use one for this dress and I was pleased with the result.

I applied a thin strip of interfacing alone the back edge before inserting the zipper.

Such a pretty, pretty dress.

(Photos taken at beautiful Port Elliot )

~Tilly's Verdict~

I love the short frilly skirt.

The fluffy dots and the gorgeous colour, I really like khaki. I love the embroidered style waistband and skirt hem.

I felt so very cool, grown up and pretty when I wore it.

I love the deep neckline but it still covered up my moles (Matilda is extremely sun smart)

I love the silk lining, it is floaty and very comfortable. I do like the arms being unlined as they are cool. (To wear)

It looks great with my Converse and other shoes.

~My Verdict~

I embrace every sew before Tildy becomes a teenager that wants to wear only t-shirts and cut off jeans shorts.

This is was relatively quick sew, as I remembered the waist panel that I disliked, from Elsa's dress, so I lined that from the beginning.

As I constructed the dress when Tildy was at school, the 'two as one' method of treating lining as main made a quick fitting when she got home very easy,

A lovely, lovely sew that I would happily make again.

Thank you reading.... xx Nicole