The second last make of 2012 – a Cherish dress for my Mum.

Sadly, I don’t have any modelled pictures of this one! It’s in a cotton jersey that Mum had been holding on to for many years, waiting for the right pattern to make a cool summer “house dress” (as she describes them). This fabric doesn’t have any lycra, and isn’t terribly stretchy, so I cut it out in an XL size (I’d use the L for my Mum normally if I were using a fabric with more stretch and recovery). I topstitched the neck and arm bands down with a small zig-zag to keep them more stable and add a little detail.

I’m rather fond of the small zig-zag on knit fabrics at the moment! I stopped the stitching either side of the front gathers. The hem was also secured with a small zig-zag. Mum seemed pleased with the finished dress. I also made a maxi version of the Cherish dress for my cousin Freya earlier in the year, but don’t have any photos of it on her. You’ll have to make do with photos of it on me!

The fabric for this one came from the Darn Cheap Fabrics $2 per metre table. It’s a pixellated floral, a polyester/spandex blend, I suspect. It falls very nicely in a maxi length.

I’ve been wearing my Cherish dresses quite a lot in the warmer weather. So bra-friendly, and shaped but loose – does that make sense? Very comfortable. I find that poly/spandex knits only last a season or so, and am looking forward to replenishing my wardrobe again next year with more Cherish dresses once these ones wear out! Or maybe I could sneak one more in for this summer…