While the Northern hemisphere waves goodbye to another summer… in the Southern hemisphere we are impatiently waiting for ours to arrive. I agree, I am rather spoilt… we took these photos mid-August on a quiet local beach while walking the dog and I wasn’t cold, it was a beautiful day.

Spring is nearly here & a sundress is an eminently sensible way to celebrate. Thank you Mood Fabrics for supplying this for my Mood Sewing Network post – much appreciated!

New Look 6048 – my Hello & Goodbye Summer Dress. Grinning like a goose as the waves catch me unawares!

Once I spotted this beautiful black & white lightweight stretch cotton on the Mood Fabrics website I was head over heels in love. I love a classic black/white print, however it’s the pop of aqua that makes this fabric gorgeous. Mood was most helpful in pairing it with a beautiful contrast cotton sateen for me, this one is Hawaiian Ocean Blue Stretch Cotton Sateen. Thse fabrics have a lovely weight to them, not too heavy and not too light (I know, sounds suspiciously like a breakfast cereal commercial!).

I love this combination, it is light, crisp and summery. I also have a particular fondness for cotton sateens. They are marvellously easy to sew with and endlessly versatile… not to mention coming in a wide variety of gorgeous colours and prints.

White-Black Lightweight Stretch Cotton Print from Mood Fabrics

This fabric is lovely quality and a generous 58 inches wide, giving you lots of room to play – perfect for those wider or circle skirts. It has a touch of lycra which adds a bit of crosswise stretch to the fabric – hello comfortable sundress!

I had planned to make a Vogue Vintage frock… however I kept coming back to New Look 6644 and in the end I gave into my instincts. The pattern itself is easy to sew, which isn’t why I chose it, I simply love a sweetheart neckline and the bodice has princess seams. It’s got three lovely deep pleats across the front and back, giving the skirt some fullness, without too much heaviness.

I decided to fully line this dress with some cotton lawn from my stash.  I always have several metres stashed as it seems to be useful for all manner of projects.

Lining a dress might seem onerous or double the sewing time, I find lined dresses last longer, wear better and crease less. I also often make the lining to test the fit. It’s an excellent timesaver because if it does indeed fit… you are half way there!

New Look 6048 – fully lined. I like my lining to be several centimetres shorter than my shell, I’m not one for peekaboo hemlines.

If you are considering lining this particular dress, when you line the bodice you just need to layer the shell and lining wrong sides together. The top contrast band is then attached to both fabrics along the neckline on the wrong side then turned over to the front of the dress and slip-stitched down. It’s a very simple and neat finish.

I also decided to give the dress a little more structure by adding some lightweight boning to the lining seams. I used rigilene (which looks like this), which is made from woven nylon rods and can be sewn directly onto the seams. For a sundress I don’t think you want very rigid boning, just something with enough structure to support the curve of the dress seams so it sits nicely over your body. I love how this dress sits with a some added soft structure and shape.

Side view – New Look 6048. Yes… for the pocket junkies, this dress is just the ticket.

I opted to use a white invisible zipper for this dress. I did worry for a little while about the white zipper tab showing at the top of the dress… however I actually really like the white contrast against the aqua and decided to leave it white rather than painting it with nail polish to conceal it.

New Look 6048 – back view

Cotton sateen and stretch cotton are just lovely to sew with. They have a little more weight than a basic poplin and are far more forgiving to sew. Not to mention the slightly lovely sheen that the fabrics possess, giving a humble sundress a little more wow.

I would advise not ignoring those pattern instructions advising you to staystitch your edges, the lycra stretch does need to be contained as you don’t want a gaping neckline! I think this pattern is particularly suited to cotton sateen as the neckline is staystitched, stitched and then understitched… AND the contrast band is interfaced, making it far less likely to stretch out.

I think this dress would look lovely with a patent black belt and simple heels.

Now I’m off to sit out the final days of my winter… and embrace some welcome warmth and sunshine. I am one of those people guilty of clinging to their summer dresses as autumn approaches and wearing them in the fading days of winter, teamed with cardigans and jackets in a desperate bid to pretend the colder days will soon be gone…. I’m not the only one that does that… am I?

… I think I have just enough of this amazing fabric to whip up a print summer blazer with aqua highlights… *trots off to sewing room again*

Fabrics from Mood Fabrics NY: White-Black Lightweight Stretch Cotton Print (1 7/8 yard) & Hawaiian Ocean Blue Stretch Cotton Sateen (1/4 yard)
Pattern: New Look 6048 (I made size 6 – I should have made a 4 but perhaps the slightly looser fit will be more comfortable in summer!)

this one is simply because I know many of you love a good whippet photo bomb… (note: most of my photos are taken with the whippet on quiet local beaches where dogs are permitted unleashed… I think he rather loves blog photo times!)

Banjo: serial whippet photo bomber!