Things I've Sewn Lately: Sewaholic Lonsdale Dress and Simplicity 2166 Clutch

I sewed this dress in May, for a wedding in June, and finally got pictures before I wore it to a different wedding this past weekend. So lately might be a bit of a misnomer, but at least it was this summer!

The wedding we went to this past weekend was the wedding of one of Greg's childhood friends, whose family has a winery, so these pictures are from the porch at Greg's parents' house, where we dropped off Lyra and spent the night afterward.

Greg's parents have two hilarious jack russells, Rascal (standing beside me in that picture) and Sugar. Lyra ADORES Rascal and Sugar. Unfortunately, Lyra also outweighs a jack russell by about 35 pounds, so sometimes her enthusiasm doesn't go over too well with them.

Anyway, I tell you all this because they joined me for the photoshoot.

Rascal cannot stand to not be part of the action, so he ended up in the majority of my pictures.

And then this kept happening. 

So now that I've set the scene, about the dress: I love it. The fabric is a printed cotton (maybe Ralph Lauren?) that I bought at Mood when I was there earlier this year. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for a Lonsdale. It's got a little body to it, so it helps the A-line skirt stand well. And since the bodice is lined and the fabric is thick, I didn't need to worry about a strapless bra (I can't abide them.) 

I chose to tie mine in a knot in the front, but there are a couple of options for how to tie it. I kind of wish the zipper had been enclosed in the lining the way it is in the Cambie pattern, but that'd be easy to do myself if I make another.

I don't know if it's just me, but I also found it really difficult to tie a pretty bow in the back by myself!

The gripes, however, are very small in comparison with the things I love about this pattern, starting with the fact that I can wear most Sewaholic patterns straight out of the envelope since they're designed for pear-shaped women.

Also, the drafting on them is spot on. I always thought I was crazy that my notches on Big Four patterns rarely matched, but everything always matches perfectly on Sewaholic stuff, which combines with the fact that the instructions are so easy to follow.

I made a miniskirt muslin of this, but I didn't need it. Size 6 was a great fit.

I originally bought some light blue wedges for this dress, but Lyra ate one of them (baffling -- the only inappropriate thing she's eaten since we got her and it was a single, unworn wedge shoe) and I wasn't sure about the match anyway, so I ended up going with bright yellow accent wedges. Wedges were a must since both weddings were partially outdoors. (Though I may have ruined them since this wedding got majorly rained on.)

The biggest issue with the yellow shoes was that I couldn't find a (well-priced/pretty/appropriate) bag to match. I have an ancient white clutch I usually carry, but it's tiny and getting scuffed. And I wanted yellow to match the shoes.

So I did what any self-respecting sewist would do and put one of the shoes in my purse and headed out to the fabric store.

Voila, Simplicity 2166. I made mine in yellow canvas with a white cotton lining. This clutch was EASY and uses barely any fabric. There are options for a whole bunch of different things to do on the front, but I just left mine plain.

I still am not sure if I read the cutting instructions wrong or if the cutting instructions are wrong, but I ended up with an extra bag flap, so watch your cutting instructions if you make this.

The only really tiresome thing about this pattern is all the interfacing you have to fuse. But that's bag-making I suppose! I would use a heavier interfacing for the main bag next time, something like decor bond, maybe. I used heavyweight interfacing and it was still a little floppy for my liking.

I will say it is a great size. I fit my wallet, phone, lipstick and hairbrush in there. All in all and easy make to get yourself a bag that matches perfectly!

On another note, is anyone else going to Male Pattern Boldness Day? I am and I can't wait!