A Floaty Two Piece Set

 

I made a pretty summery dress, in the middle of winter!  Who does that!  Ok all is not actually what it seams with this project.  Minerva kindly donated this lovely piece of soft polyester crepe in exchange for a blog post. When it arrived I was quite surprised by how much drape the fabric had and actually it felt more like a silk than a poly crepe.  I am never really 100% certain what I am going to make when I order fabric online although I often have a vague idea.  In this instance, I knew my fabric was destined to be some form of dress but the actual style and pattern were unknown.  In this instance it was fortunate that this fabric was coming from the UK because it gave me a little time to ponder and make some plans.

Now floaty summer dresses are not my usual idea of a seasonal make when polar blasts are bearing down and the sun is not, but a two piece dress well that is another thing altogether.  My last two piece set made with Minerva fabric is perhaps my most worn items made in the last year so this was a good place to start.

After much overthinking the project I settled on an A line skirt from Ottobre Woman Magazine from May 2021 and to go with it I chose New Look 6471 view A which is a pattern I have been wanting to try for quite a while.  

I made the skirt up first.  Because the fabric is so light I lined it with some pale blue lining from my stash and added an invisible zip.  It is finished with a narrow hem.

I then cut out the top.  I usually shorten sleeves in all of my tops and shirts but this time I deliberately left them as drafted because I wanted to add shirring elastic instead of the gathered and bound cuff as drafted.  I have shirred before so this proved to be a very simple and effective finish.  Shirring is everywhere at the moment and I felt that this was a little nod to the current trend without making the top too trendy and prone to dating too quick.  I do like my wardrobe to work hard for me so want this outfit to remain in my wardrobe for a long time.

I am really pleased with the final outfit.  It will make a pretty spring dress for any functions I may get invited to but works equally well styled in a more casual way.  Best of all I can wear it now teamed with boots and winter layers.