The Chinese Metallic Lara Dress

This is a gorgeous princess seam strappy dress that has a centre back invisible zip and adjustable straps by NH Patterns called the Lara Dress. Purchased from Etsy, it's a downloadable pattern that you print yourself with full instructions and pictures.

It reminds me a lot of the 90's style, square neck dresses, so when I saw the Chinese dragon print fabric from Craft Cotton Company this is exactly what I had in mind to make! The 90's was definitely my era so I have a soft spot for the fashion and music from that time. 

The fabric is 100% cotton and after working with Craft Cotton Company fabric in many other projects, I knew it would have great structure for this type of dress. There are other designs as part of this Chinese collection so if you like cherry blossom prints and water prints in the Chinese style too then make sure to check them out! 

The pattern is an intermediate pattern so it's more for a confident dress maker or someone who knows how to insert invisible zip and darts. (although this is the first time I'd be doing an invisible zip and a lining in a dress!)

This pattern is perfect for light-medium weight woven fabric with some structure, such as lightweight cotton/cotton poplin, linen etc. As I said, I chose a 100% cotton which I pre-washed at a cool temperature and pressed to soften slightly before sewing. It’s good practice to wash your fabric before sewing especially if it is an item that might need washing in future to ensure it doesn’t shrink! 

pattern printing - 

There're 21 sheets which are easy to follow when constructing and I liked that it didn’t end up being one big sheet. The smaller pieces to the dress were on separate pieces so you don't waste time sticking unnecessary every sheet together.

instructions - 

There are clear instructions and real-life pictures so it’s easy to follow - there's also picture instructions on how to put the invisible zip in which is a nice extra!

I extended the length of the dress by about 3 inches in the end so it is a length more suited to me. I had enough fabric that I could cut the dress pieces out much longer, then decide once it was partly made how long I’d want it to be. The lining was extended by about 2 inches and this is also easily adjustable which you’re making the dress. Here's the dress after I inserted the zip and was able to choose the length -

construction-

Simple construction of the bodice and skirt which was enjoyable to do. This is a style of dress that I think is timeless so I know I’ll be using it over and over again.

I didn't choose the best lining fabric as the one I had frayed so easily a was a bit too lightweight. I'd do some more research into dress linings next time to make sure I had one that was more suited.

1cm seam allowance is used apart from when inserting the zip which was explained in the instructions. I marked this on my machine so it was correct the entire time I was sewing.

zip issues... 

I thought I had the zip all sussed out when I attached the first side to the dress... I was wondering what all the worry was about when putting in an invisible zip... then it all went wrong! I managed to twist the second side, so the zip teeth ended up facing the wrong way. The unpicker came out and after scratching my head a bit I managed to sew it on the right way!

Sewing the lining in is pretty straight forward but I also messed that up. First try, I had sewn the lining just inside of the zip rather than over it, so when I turned it the right side out, the zip had disappeared into the seam! (I had a good giggle at this with my mum) After working out what I had done wrong, I managed to sew the lining to the right part and it turned the right way just fine!

To finish off the dress, the direction is to 'stitch in the ditch' around the waist band to keep the lining in place, but because the lining I used was quite thin, I thought it would be best to top stitch around the top of the dress to make sure the lining wouldn't fold over. This meant that the zip at the back wouldn't do up fully and neatly.. As you can see from the picture, I couldn't get close enough to the zip to make it look finished and this also meant that the zip curved to the sides at the top! Luckily this fabric is bold enough that once it is on it won't be as noticeable what it isn't perfect. But I know for next time what I would do differently!

(side note - I'm not sure how I ended up with a seam down the side of the zip but I just unpicked it as it wasn't serving any purpose... who knows!)

Overall, I'm so pleased with how the dress turned out and I've learnt so much in the process. It's given me confidence to try other patterns and I'll be making plenty of summer dresses in this style because the fit it so nice! I don't have anything like this in my wardrobe and that's what I love about making my own clothes, they are all unique and custom to me :)

Kym x