Faux Lace Nettie Dress

It’s very rare that I use independent pattern companies. It’s even more rare that I decide to use them right after they are released. Unless you have been living under a rock buried under your stash the last few weeks, you have seen many many iterations of Nettie, the bodysuit pattern released by Closet Case Files. Frankly, I am not sure a bodysuit would add anything in my life (but I understand that it can be useful to others) so I had a look but did not pay all that much attention. But then, I saw this dress made by the lovely Lindsay. I did not have a choice anymore, I NEEDED IT NOW. Unfortunately, knit is NOT an easy thing to find in Port-au-Prince AND the old man tends to make those comments about new fabric purchases that cool me down a bit. So I know I had to be sneaky. And sneaky I was! When I was told that the daughter of our friends dreamt about having a mermaid tail she could swim in (more later), I happily volunteered myself, knowing that it would mean a trip to the fabric store without The Old Man. And there it was, waiting for me, lace printed knit that looks A LOT like the one Carolyn used recently or the illustration of the Nettie pattern. The worst part is that I did not even realize it was the same as the illustration until Heather pointed it out on Instagram.

In the same weekend, I completed my mermaid making commitments, I ignored the less-than-convinced comments from the old man about the fabric and tackled the Nettie on Sunday afternoon. By Sunday evening, after taking a nap and a break for dinner, the dress was done. The old man was so impressed that i/ he admitted he was wrong about the fabric and ii/ he wondered why my other projects are all so long. Men… But I mean COME ON, he admitted he was wrong about something, that NEVER happens.

Regarding the pattern I used the high front neckline and the lowest back. I was a bit concerned about the sizing since I had the initial version of the pattern, before Heather amended it. But I decided that my knit had enough stretch so I cut a size 4 (so if I understood correctly this size would now be a 2 and is not included in the pattern anymore) and graded out to a 6 at the hips just to be sure. I also shorthened the sleeves because I have creepy baby length arms and the cropped sleeves would have ended at my wrists…

I did not really use the instructions, first because I did not use my regular machine but my serger (and I don’t baste, I hate basting) and second I prefer to construct knit flat as much as possible (except hems). That means that I joined 1 shoulder, added the neck binding, closed the second shoulder, sewed the sleeves in the armholes and closed the side seams from the bottom of the hem to the end of the sleeve. The hems were serged, turned and topstitched twice to mimic the effect of a coverstitch.

 

I used the instructions to add the shelf bra. I am still undecided about the cups. I destroyed an old bra to steal the cups but I don’t know if they add to the silhouette or detract from it. The dress has not been taken out on a date yet so I guess that a few hours of test wearing will tell me if I like the cups or not. By the way, yes, I know this dress needs a date. I told the old man and I wore it around the house to signal my impatience so it should be coming soon. Unless we get knocked down by the epidemic of Chikungunya. And I really hope it is not the case because we are leaving to France in 10 days. I do not want to be sick, I want to be able to sneak around to by fabric and hide it in my suitcase!!

Finally, I believe that the Nettie dress requires a Vixen pose, so here it is :

 

To finish on an unrelated note I changed the design of my blog. I hope you like it and that it makes reading easier! Let me know if you have comments.

What do you think about bodysuits ? Do you wear them? And more importantly, do you have to hide to buy fabric???