Frocktails! One of the most anticipated events on any sewists’ calendar across the globe! This would be my first time attending Frocktails (along with my Mum!), so I went all out on some really lovely fabric for my outfit.
Where else does one go for super special fabric, other than Tessuti?! I saw this amazing Italian designer printed 100% viscose pop up on their Instagram and knew I had to have it! The large scale, abstract floral design is stunning. I love that the edges of the lines aren’t solid, they almost look like tie-dye.
I absolutely love a dressy jumpsuit, but going to the ‘ladies’ can pose a few problems… (who likes sitting on the toilet naked?!) I decided to go for the jumpsuit look, but in separates. I used the Winslow Culottes and the ever faithful Ogden Cami.
When my fabric arrived in the post, it wasn’t as opaque as I had hoped. I decided to fully line the cami and the culottes with some ivory viscose from The Fabric Store.
This was simple enough with the cami, I just used the standard front and back pattern pieces and cut them about an inch shorter at the hem. To give the neckline a fighting chance, I used some iron-on interfacing to help stabilise it. I also under stitched by hand, which gave a really lovely result.
Lining the culottes was another story, and all because I had extended the top of the pocket bag so it could be sewn into the waistband. I wanted the lining to hang directly behind the outer fabric, so there was no chance of seeing the pockets. This meant I had to leave the side seams of the lining open to the bottom of the pocket, so I could slip the pockets through to the very inside.
This actually worked really well. I anchored the bottom of the pockets and the lining together by using a thread doubled over and loosely tied to form a ring. This gives both layers of fabric enough ease to move around, but the tacking stitch isn’t so tight that it pulls and is visible on the outside.
I also took the opportunity to have a go at a hand-picked zipper for the first time. It was so much easier than I thought it was going to be, and I think it looks really lovely!
As if a matching two-piece outfit wasn’t enough, I also made a pair of polymer clay earrings to wear. I have to thank my Mum, who sanded and polished these to perfection!
GARMENT DETAILS
- Pattern brand/name/number:
- Style, size:
- Cami: size 12
- Culottes: size 12, midi length
- Fabric:
- Outer: “Web Flowers Ink” Italian designer printed 100% viscose from Tessuti (sadly, it’s sold out)
- Lining: Ivory viscose from The Fabric Store (which I can no longer find on their site)
- Notions: Iron-on interfacing, zipper, hook & eye, thread
- Modifications/alterations:
- Brought in the sides of the cami by 1cm (4cm in total)
- Shortened the cami straps by 5cm
- Used a full length lining for the cami
- Culottes were sized the same as my wearable toile
- Extended the pocket bag of the culottes so they were sewn into the waistband
- Added lining to the culottes
- I had to straighten off the hem of the culottes at the inner leg seam, it dropped quite noticeably (outer fabric only)
I also have to send out a huge thank you to Caz from UsefulBox for organising the whole event. I can only imagine the amount of work that went into the night, but it was clearly  appreciated by everyone who attended. I met some online friends in person, and made some new sewing friends too. I’m already looking forward to the next one!
Mitty x
