First completed make of 2018. This is the Adrift Dress from Papercut Patterns. It's very simple, and feminine but not fussy. It also feels very cool and comfortable which was great given these photos were taken on a hot and humid day.
The fabric is a rayon from My Hung. The mustard yellow is a colour I would have walked straight past a few years ago because I wouldn't have thought it suited me. But sewing has made me more adventurous in the prints and colours I'll wear. Plus, there has been a lot of mustards around in the last few years so I figured I'd at least pick it up to look at. I was looking for a rayon for this pattern because it needed something with that drape, and this was the nicest rayon on offer. I held it up against myself and it actually didn't look too bad, so I bought it.
The pattern, as with all Papercut Patterns I've made, was very straightforward and easy to follow. There aren't too many pieces to deal with, and the construction is pretty simple - the only darts are plain bust darts, the sleeves are flounces like the skirt, so there's no gathering, and the waist is elasticated. The pattern actually calls for a cord tie for the skirt, but I didn't have any so just inserted elastic.
The long curved hem on the flounce is hand stitched, which took about three hours. I decided to stitch it by hand to ensure it was neat and even as curved seams can be tricky, but did regret it a bit around half way through because of how long it took to do. But having finished it off, it is even and probably neater than it would have been if done by machine - I just might wait a while before doing another project that requires so much hand stitching.
Papercut patterns are always written very well and easy to make, but I did have one issue with this one - the bodice is very short. I'm 5'6" and the length is alright, but anyone taller would need to make adjustments to this pattern. It wasn't until I'd finished sewing the bodice together that I realised its lack of length, which sits a little above the waist. Especially when combined with the front skirt which is relatively short where the two pieces wrap over each other. If I make this again, I'll add an inch or two to the bodice to give it a better length.
