Things I've Sewn Lately: Tiramisu

I've loved the Tiramisu pattern since I started seeing versions of the dress all over the Internet. The second Pattern Review started selling Cake Patterns, I ordered Tiramisu and Pavlova. 

Crazily enough, the only sewing I got done during Me-Made May was to make two Tiramisus, a Pavlova top and a Pavlova skirt. May was definitely Cake Patterns month! 

Knit sundresses are one of my favorite summertime work-at-home outfits. Easy to throw on and super comfy!

The fist Pavlova I did was some bright coral cotton knit from Mood. It's pretty heavy and swishy, so I eliminated the pockets -- I love me some pockets, but I couldn't think what I'd put inside pockets of a knit dress that wouldn't just drag the dress down. I also took out the underbust ruching and just gathered my fabric a bit -- no real reason, I just like the look of it.

I originally intended this fabric for a long-sleeved Renfrew, so I had barely enough to squeeze out this dress. I had a tiny handful of confetti after I was done cutting.

I sewed just about the entire dress on my serger. Some of the seams came out a little wavy on this one. Just could not find a tension setting I liked! Plus, I'm allergic to making muslins for knits patterns -- it just seems pointless. How would you even try it on? No thanks!

The wavy seams are pretty easy to press out, but, after a washing (as seen in this picture), they're back to wavy. I actually pulled this right out of the dryer for this photoshoot. 

I also had a little drama attaching the skirt to the bodice. The fabric is just really heavy in general, I guess. I sewed the seam like four times to get it flat.

But overall I love it and I think it'll get a ton of wear. Look how swishy!

On version two, I got the serger tension right. This is a vintage floral Gucci print that I got in Elliott Berman's 50 percent off sale. When it came it was much more sheer than I expected, so I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. But after I made my first Tiramisu, I realized it would be perfect. And, when it came down to it, the fabric wasn't really that sheer. I didn't feel like I could see through it. The lightness of the fabric was a huge boon in terms of weight. If you make one of these, I'd suggest very very lightweight fabric.

This version just came out a lot cleaner in general. It's always so much easier to make a pattern the second time! 

I'm in love love love with the sleeve and neck binding method on these dresses. It's a very thin binding and it's done without stretching the binding (like on some t-shirts). I just love the look of it. 

I did a better job reading this pattern than I did with the Pavlova -- even though this one came with two correction sheets. The correction I needed was super simple, luckily.

The construction is kind of fun, too. You make the entire dress flat and connected by the shoulders, skirt and all, and then just zip up the side seams.

This fabric was much less stretchy, so there's a whole lot less ease to it (I sewed it right to my size.) The sizing on this is pretty unique. You pick a size for the top by inches and then it's customized by cup size. I didn't really need several different sizes, but I could see it being awesome for someone who's a little more gifted in the boob area.

Originally, I wanted to make a striped version, since the pattern comes with instructions for stripes, but, true to form, a floral and a solid were what I ended up with.

What can I say? At least I'm reliable, right?