Sew Over It Lottie Dress - Heatwave saviour!

This pattern could already move into my Most Worn pile. Last week during the hot weather that we had I didn't want to wear anything else...so I made a second one! My versions are made in viscose fabrics so are very lightweight and breathable. I find I don't like things too fitted when it's very hot but I do need things drawn in around the waist to suit my frame and the fact that this dress uses waist ties rather than elastic makes it all the more comfortable. I even like the gathering at the top of the dress which gives a small amount of pretty shaping to a fairly simple make. So long as you can manage bias binding and buttonholes, you can whip this up in less than a day.

Fabrics

I made my first version in a viscose fabric that I bought from Weaver Dee - it could have been as low as £3.50 a metre at the time. It's been in my stash for a while, waiting to made into something for summer. It's quite thin but not see through so was an ideal candidate for the job. Ironing the bias binding on this was not easy though - the fabric kept wanting to ping back.

My second version is also viscose, bought in a Sew Over It remnant sale  - I think it was around £10 for the piece which measured about 1.5m. I just about managed to get this pattern out of the piece. If I was making a bigger, or longer version I wouldn't have been able to. This viscose is a little thicker - almost fleecier in comparison but has by and large behaved the same, if not a little easier when it comes to pressing. The only drawback has been the the fabric 'pulls' easily so there are a few white lines here and there. Given what I'm planning to use it for, that doesn't bother me though.

The only other thing to think about is interfacing. I used a cheap lightweight fusible on my first one, which behaves a lot more pliably than the branded one I used on my second one (Vilene). Generally I prefer how the cheaper one looks as the other one is a bit too stiff and makes the front of the dress poke out a bit.

All the buttons I got off Amazon - I bought some variety bags of 11mm buttons for about £4 and there were lots of options I could have picked to go with these fabrics.

Pattern and Instructions

The Lottie dress pattern comes with Issue 3 of the Lisa Comfort Magazine. It costs £14.99 but you can get it for £7.99 if you keep an eye out for the sales (I got mine on Black Friday). The pattern is printed on paper and comes with its own envelope  - the instructions are part of the magazine.

The pattern itself is sized and presented in the same way as other Sew Over It patterns - I usually make a size 10 and adjust from there for personal preferences. What I really like about this pattern is its simplicity - this is what makes it so wearable in the summer. It is constructed of two front pieces and one back piece, with bias binding applied across the top of these. This means there are no facings and it creates delicate shoulder straps too. I also really like how dainty the bust shaping is - just a few small gathers at the top instead of bust darts also creates nice shaping.

The construction of this pattern is such that it can be a quick make. The only thing that takes time is getting the correct fit on the length of the straps. Also, folding, ironing and applying bias binding can be a bit laborious but given how little work is needed on the rest, it's fine.

Alterations

I needed to take in the centre back a little as it was too baggy. I made a 2cm box pleat and covered it with binding, which I repeated on my second version too.
I took about 3 inches off the bottom in length - this was more to fit it on to the fabric that I had rather than design intent. That said, any longer would be too long on me.
On my first version I didn't use the button guide and placed buttons where I thought they should sit. This took a total of 11 buttons rather than 9. On my second I placed them as per the guide. I'm still figuring out if this placement works for me or if I'll have to sneak in a snap somewhere across the bust - it likes to gape a bit. This may also not be helped by the stiffer interfacing here as well, but we'll see.

I can't wait to take this dress on holiday. It is exactly what I need for walking around in the sun - breezy enough to feel cool but there's enough of it to keep everything covered that needs to be! I'll also admit that I did not like it in the slightest when Lisa first covered it on her vlog, but I've found lately to pay more attention to how I feel about clothes when I'm wearing them rather than planning them......which is how I've ended up with a pair in quick succession! I would definitely recommend this one if you want a casual summer staple.