The cheese and pineapple hedgehog is done, Pina Coladas are chilling and this is my entry for the #SewSeventies challenge hosted by Georgie and Yvette. If I'm being honest, I think my pattern and fabric combination is a little too on the nose, making it feel a bit costumey. You can't win them all though and it makes a comfy house dress during warmer weather.
To be clear, there's nothing wrong with the pattern, which is the Pattern Fantastique Vali Dress and Top. I just think that paired with this vintage 1970s cotton voile it's a bit much on me. Also, despite being a beautiful design that looks fantastic on everyone else I've seen wearing it, as I suspected, my proportions make it difficult for me to carry off this silhouette.
For reference, I made a size 14, shortened the skirt by an inch and the fit is pretty spot on. The pattern comes together quite quickly, but sewing the yoke and getting neat corners on the sleeves can be quite fiddly. The grown-on pockets make for an interesting and speedy construction, but I think I prefer the finish of the traditional method. As a hopefully helpful aside, despite having child-sized hands, I actually found the pocket opening to be on the snug side.
The written instructions can seem a little overwhelming, even though they include some really useful tips for steps like hemming, so I'm extremely grateful to Sara SJ Kim for sharing this brilliant step-by-step sew-along, which I followed from start to finish.
You can't tell in these photos thankfully, but my fabric is VERY sheer, so that's another reason I won't be wearing this 'out' out. Instead, I'll happily channel my grandma as I clean the house, but my Vali Dress would also make the prettiest beach cover-up. Looking at this last photo, I wonder if making a belt from my fabric remnants would encourage me to wear it more. What do you think?
