Noelle Dress
Hi Friends!
I can't believe it's halfway through August already. Where is the summer going?
Lately my weekends have been filled with beach days and outdoor adventures. It hasn't left me a whole lot of time to sew or blog, but I know once winter comes I'll have plenty of time inside to catch up!
One thing I managed to sew up a few weekends ago but hasn't made it to the blog yet is the FANTASTIC Noelle Bra dress. It combines the sweet halter of the Noelle bra with a comfy a-line skirt for an outfit that can be thrown on without a second thought.
I sewed this dress up in a stretchy Barcelona poly-spandex knit from fabricland. Wyatt says it feels like swimsuit material, and he's not wrong.
It's a little weird. Truthfully.
It's not a fabric I'm super fond of, and I probably won't try anymore Barcelona Knits in the future. Too swimsuit-y for my tastes.
But in pictures comes off fabulously and drape-y! So maybe I'm being more dramatic about this than I should be.
It definitely wouldn't be the first time that happened!
Like last time, I sewed up an XS in the bra, which is a size smaller than I should be sewing. I really can't recommend sizing down in this pattern enough - I read on a bra making forum on Facebook that the measurements included are the finished measurements, so you'll need to size down to get a better fit.
It's worked like a charm for me so far!
I also used F.O.E to finish the top, not picot as recommended, but that's an incredibly easy substitution to make - just remove 1/4" from the seam allowance.
In the pictures there is no elastic on the waist, but that's changing soon. I was all out of clear elastic when I made this dress but I just recently picked some up, so I'll fix that soon. That seam is a little wavy, and I think the clear elastic will help it cling to my frame a little better. I'll keep you posted.
Surprisingly enough, the skirt was super easy to add onto this pattern! I just fiddled around with my waist and hip measurements to draft an easy a-line skirt and hemmed it with a zig-zig stitch.
Simple and uncomplicated, the two things I ask for when sewing in the summer heart.
(But bonus points if it's something that can be made without ironing. WHO EVEN IRONS WHEN IT'S THIS HOT OUT?)
I would also like to draw attention to how much better the back of this Noelle bra looks than my first. I really nailed sewing the elastic!
I would also like to draw less attention to the fact that the straps are connected with a slider... I ran out of rings and was NOT waiting! :)
That's all I have to share about this week's make - I hope you enjoyed checking it out!
Lately all I want to make is more Noelle crop tops, but I feel like that's a little overkill.
Like, how many crop tops does a girl really need?
Do you ever catch a pattern bug like this and want to make something over and over? This happened to me with the Catarina dress, and I still want to make more. They're all I seem to be dreaming up.
How do I get out of this rut!?
S.O.S.
Please send helpful suggestions in the comment's below, or there might be 9374 more Noelle's and Catarina's coming your way.
Until next time,
Rachel