Dresses

Fresh Floral Flora

Happy happy sunny times!

I finished this dress just in time for the glorious weather.

almond rock by hand london flora tilda cotton white tree fabrics

This is a long overdue White Tree Fabrics make. I wanted to use some of the new Tilda cottons that they’re stocking: This is Mia in Pink. As ever, the parcel arrived in the blink of an eye.

almond rock by hand london flora tilda cotton white tree fabrics

I haven’t made a By Hand London Flora in six months and as soon as I picked it back up I remembered how quick it is to sew and how flattering I think it is on me from the front.

I love how it hits me just at my collarbone so is modest but those thin little straps keep it flirty. I wore this to work during the heatwave and was kept both cool and modest. Plus the Tilda print went down very well with lots of nice compliments.

almond rock by hand london flora tilda cotton white tree fabrics

As you can see I just added a gathered skirt again, this is because the Tilda cotton isn’t wide enough for a circle skirt. Also if you read my original blog post I changed the bodice to waist darts only. Finally I lined the entire dress in peach anti-static lining and used a white invisible zipper.

almond rock by hand london flora tilda cotton white tree fabrics

I really need to alter the lines of the back bodice somehow… it makes me look like I have the most ginormous linebacker shoulders. I think the “arm holes” are cut just a little too far in to flatter me. Not a major problem, because who’s looking at your shoulders that closely right?

Because my first version was made out of cotton sateen it was sized a little smaller than I needed to account for the stretch, so I added 5mm to the centre front and side seams to help with this.

almond rock by hand london flora tilda cotton white tree fabrics

The cotton was really lovely to work with because it’s nice and light and crisp. I do think it’s a shame when 100% cotton gets a little rumpled by the end of the day but that’s a small price to pay for the pretty prints. The shades of pink in this Tilda cotton really say Summer to me.

So there you have it. A fresh floral Flora dress! I hope you like it as much as I do.

(14) Comments

  1. Wendy says:

    Looks lovely. Have you had a go at the crossover version on the pattern too?

  2. Swirlyicing says:

    This is a lovely summer dress x

  3. It’s lovely. I have the same issue with the armholes of the flora tank version. I keep meaning to adjust it to make more!

  4. Absolutely gorgeous, looks so lovely and cool 🙂

  5. That fabric is really lovely. I like the gathered skirt with this pattern, too 🙂

  6. It looks lovely – a perfect summer dress. I’m not surprised you got lots of compliments!

  7. Love this! It’s perfect for this heatwave we’re having lately! 🙂

  8. Mary Danielson Perry says:

    Oh, this is just lovely! That fabric is so sweet and works perfectly as a Flora. You look gorgeous!

  9. So summery and fresh, this looks beautiful. Well done another stunner.

  10. Really lovely print – perfect for summer. I made my firast version of this out of stretch cotton but completely forgot to adjust when I sewed version 2 so have never been able to wear it (and it is so lovely..!)

    Louise

  11. Oh, this is too lovely! I think you’re right about adjusting the back bodice to cover a bit more of your shoulder blades, but I also think you’re being a little hard on yourself too!

  12. Lovely! You look so summery and sweet!

  13. A gorgeous version! Absolutely perfect for summer.

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