Striped Lola Dress
As I hinted in my post yesterday, I made a Lola Dress!
To tell you the truth, I’m feeling ridiculously pleased with myself and over the moon with my new dress. What makes me so happy:
- It’s a successful pattern hack (even if it’s a rather simple one)
- The fabric has amazing drape and when I put it on I just feel like swishing around
- The dress is super comfortable, flattering (well I think so) and easy to wear. A wardrobe workhorse in the making?
- What’s not to like about the start of a new year?
The pattern hack was really quite simple (a shortened back and front pattern piece with a gathered skirt added to it) but it did involve some trial and error, as outlined below. Although, can I suggest if you are using my notes that you skip the ‘doubt yourself’ part in the middle.
- I tried on one of my Lola Tees and measured the side seam from my underarm to my natural waist.
- I traced the front and back of my Lola Tee pattern (small graded to a medium in the bust) and cut it off at the measurement in point 1 plus seam allowances.
- The next day before cutting into my fabric I doubted myself. I held up the front pattern piece to my body in front of the mirror and it looked way to short. I promptly added 2 inches to both the front and back pieces.
- I fussy-cut the striped jersey (more on that later) and then made up the tee in my usual way without hemming it.
- I reinforced, using fine fusible stay tape, the raw edge of the bodice and marked the centre front (CF) & centre back (CB) points.
- For the skirt, I joined my remaining length of fabric the at the selvedge. I didn’t want to cut into this fabric as there was enough to make a ‘normal’ Lola Tee if the dress was to fail!
- Using the newly created seam as one point, I marked the top of the skirt in four even places.
- I sewed two lines of gathering stitch – one in the seam allowance, one below it – and I gathered the skirt to match the circumference of the bodice.
- With right sides together, I matched and pinned the four points marked on the skirt to the side seams and the CF & CB points on the bodice.
- I joined the skirt to the bodice and removed the gathering stitches
- I hemmed my new dress and tried it on… D I A S T E R !
- The weight of the skirt was pulling the bodice down to a most unflattering point. The bodice/skirt seam was at belly button level. Eeekkk! The bodice needed to be shortened by 2 inches, the exact two inches that I added when in doubt above. S I G H…
- I took a deep breathe, got my scissors out and remedied the problem by cutting and re-sewing.
- The result – a dress that makes me H A P P Y… and you can’t ask for more than that!
I spent ages cutting out my fabric to ensure that the navy (the darker and more forgiving colour) was were the bodice joined the skirt. Thankfully I was still able to achieve this even when I made some fitting changes on the fly! Apologies in advance for stating the obvious, but I’m very fair-skinned and I wanted to avoid the beige being next to my paleness. The neckband is in navy, the arm-band hem is in navy and low and behold the hem is navy too!
I overlocked all my seams and I’m pretty chuffed with the accuracy of my stripe matching.
It took me two goes to get the hem to the right length on this dress. I’ve found that if I’m not sure, a photo of me in the item is much more helpful than looking in a full length mirror. Go figure? If I’m still unsure, then I text the photo to one of my sewing blogging buddies who are always super helpful. In this instance… thanks Rachel.
Pattern: Tessuti’s Lola Tee made into a dress by shortening the bodice at my natural waist and adding a gathered skirt
Size: S graded to a M at the bust
Fabric: Stripey navy and beige viscose jersey purchased from Tessuti (Melbourne) in the week before Christmas
Alterations: As described above in points 1 – 14
You know I love it! I just posted my pattern hack of this – but I think I prefer your hack more!!
I don’t think you can have too many Lola Dress hacks in your wardrobe. I want one of your too!
That is such a cute dress – and the gathering adds a little something special. What a great start to the New Year!
I think I already mentioned I was feeling very pleased with myself… 2014 has lots of possibilities!
So glad you turned your disaster into a success Anna. This dress looks lovely on you and is definitely your style.
Disasters are all part of the learning/journey, but it is grand when you can ‘save’ them.
Wonderful! I bet you will wear this all the time. Great tip about the fusible stay tape at the waist seam, too.
I might even wear it on an upcoming plane trip to Adelaide! I’m counting down the sleeps already!
Gorgeous dress and I love the way you’ve placed the stripes. I’ve been thinking about purchasing the Lola tee pattern and I think you’ve just persuaded me 🙂
Thanks Robyn. It’s a great pattern and I’m not done with it yet! Good luck with you wardrobe clean-out and not purchasing RTW this year. I’m hoping to do more sewing for me in 2014 but I’m not quite ready for a total ban on buying new clothes. Maybe next year?
What a brilliant way to convert the tee to a dress. I had thought you would have just cut the tee longer and widened it a little, but this is so much better! Love it – thanks for sharing.
Thanks Jan. My friend Rachel just made a Lola Dress too using the method you described (http://boodogg.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/l-o-l-lola-as-dress.html) and it’s a beauty. How does the saying go… there is more than one way to skin a cat!
ooh lala, Lola! Looking good : )
Blush!
Love the gathered skirt! It’s freezing here in the US, but I’m looking forward to having something like this for summer. I love how you can dress this up with wedges for lunch or a casual dinner or flats for looking great at the grocery!
Our hottest weather is when the children go back to school (February), and this is when this dress is going to get a huge workout! I’ve just unpacked all my patterns this morning, and I have another pattern hack brewing… Loving this selfish sewing!
Can I just say that you are the cutest? Looking through your hits and misses the other day I love how you incorporate color yet still keep your clothes classy and wearable! Another darling make!
I’m smiling and blushing all at once! Thanks Meg.
You look gorgeous, great modification to our Lola pattern Anna! Thanks for the inspiration.
Colette your wonderful patterns match my style and life. I have too many of them to count in my sewing queue! I’m going to put Lola aside for a moment to modify Lily.
Fabulous!
Thanks Leisl. Good luck with your plans for 2014. They sound ACE!
Fantastic Anna. I struggled to see that it was a bodice and skirt until you said so. I was wondering how one piece of fabric could hang so nicely. Doh!
Clever you figuring to put the navy stripes where they were needed. You were absolutely right and should give yourself credit for having thought of it BEFORE cutting!
I must confess I do take my time when cutting. I’ve had one cutting disaster (pattern placement) and it was a lesson well learnt. Now if we could just have some warm days so I can wear my new dress… Congrats on the Oliver + S bit of blog love yesterday. You certainly deserve a huge shout out as you make some amazing gear for your tikes. Now off to work on my next project before the rest of the house wakes up!
You should be ridiculously pleased with yourself. It’s fabulous! I love the stripes and it also looks comfy yet dressed up. I’m sure it will get lots of wears.
Thanks Rosi. I love the fabric and I’m tempted to go back for some more. Is that the true sign of an addict?
You know that I love this Lola dress AND Rachel’s and will need to blatantly copy both of them! You did a superb job with the stripe/colour matching and placement. What width of fabric did you use for the skirt? It looks just right – not too full, not too skimpy. Extremely flattering.
Thanks Lara. The fabric was 140cm wide and I overlocked the selvedges together for the skirt. My friend has offered to look after my girls tomorrow so I can go fabric shopping… what a woman!
Very cool Anna! I love everything about this dress and your total look!