Pattern: Deer and Doe – Sureau Dress

After making my last Sureau Dress a couple months ago I knew it wouldn’t be my last. It made me realize how much I love small floral prints, longer skirts, and old-fashioned “short” sleeves (which are longer than modern short sleeves). But unless you want to spend a fortune on Liberty cotton lawns, finding the perfect small floral print can be a challenge. I finally stumbled upon a large selection of these sorts of fabrics on Minervacrafts.com . I went a little crazy and ordered a few, including the one I used for this dress. It’s classified as a cotton lawn, but if I’m understanding fabric terminology correctly, this isn’t a true “lawn”. It’s too lofty and loosely woven — more like the feel of gingham. The other lawns I’ve felt are more silky and the weave is very tight. But for the price, I can’t complain. Besides, the color and print are just perfect, and it is very soft. If you’re curious, the other cotton lawns I ordered from Minerva Crafts were the same (basically all the less expensive ones around 7.99 gbp).

Modifications

I did all the same modifications from my first Sureau, except this time I anticipated the extra fabric under the bust and just pinched in the darts more. I also lengthened the skirt a few more inches and added a very large hem facing. I hate sewing hems on skirts, especially if they have a curve, so my preferred method is to add a facing. Perhaps I should do a little tutorial on this method soon.

I also did a little inverted box pleat on the top of the sleeve instead of gathers. I really like how this turned out.

Thoughts

The only issue with this version is that it’s quite difficult to take off. Maybe it’s because I took in the darts more? Anyway, it’s comfortable to wear, but when it comes time to take it off, I’m worried I’ll rip it. If I make Sureau again, I think I’ll modify it to have a back zipper instead of a side zipper. That would solve the problem.

This color is just perfect. I need more pink clothes. More soft and feminine colors.