Spotlight are selling Simplicity patterns at 5 for $10 at the moment.  Unheard of!  Of course, most of the ones that I was interested in getting for me weren’t in stock at my local Spotty (might need to get my Mum on the case to see if they are at hers) but there were a few in the drawers that I thought Clare would like.  Simplicity 1479 was one of them.

I titled this blog post “based on” Simplicity 1479 because although I used four of the pattern pieces from view B I didn’t make the dress according to the instructions. I am quite sure though that I’ll use this pattern again – there are some lovely design options.

The bright coral (almost fluoro) stretch mesh came from the Darn Cheap Fabrics $2 table. Clare wanted a very simple dress, so we decided to just make a shift and line it with a contrast. We tried a few different fabrics in a few different colours underneath before settling on this vibrant blue viscose. Clare love the feeling of rayons and viscose next to her skin, and was very happy with her choice.

I used the provided pattern pieces to cut the underdress/lining pieces from the rayon, and the overdress pattern pieces from the mesh. I cut size 8 through the body with size 10 length, and lengthened the mesh overdress pieces so that they would be longer than the underdress/lining. I stuffed the neckline facing pieces back into the pattern envelope, as I’d already decided how I would construct the dress and it wasn’t going to include facings. In summary, I did this:

• sewed the shoulder seams of the overdress and underdress
• sewed the necklines of both dresses together with the right sides facing one another
• understitched and trimmed the neckline then turned it right sides out
• used the burrito method to join one armhole underdress to the overdress by rolling the dress up from the opposite side until I could make the underdress and overdress armholes meet right sides together
• stitched and trimmed the armhole and turned it right sides out
• repeated with the opposite armhole
• then sewed up the side seams with each side having a long seam with overdress right sides together, pivoting at the underarm then sewing the underdress right sides together
• and hemmed the underdress, leaving the overdress with a raw edge that was longer than the underdress.

Phew! Clear as mud? I really like this method of sewing lined sleeveless tops and dresses – it gives such a nice clean finish with no fiddly sewing together of shoulder seams as the last step.

It’s a very simple dress, but the fabric combination makes it that little bit special to wear. Clare was happy! By the way, did you notice her doll, Rosie? Clare sewed Rosie’s dress from a Burda pattern, and made the coordinating headband and shoes from loom bands.

She did prefer to have me give her step by step guidance on what to do rather than taking her time to read the Burda instructions. Not sure if that is a reflection on Burda, or simply the result of having me available to ask! Anyway, she did all the cutting and sewing herself, and I am rather proud of my not-yet-twelve-year-old. Now I just need to persuade her to sew her own dresses.

And thanks everyone for your comments on the Celestial dress – as you know, I love it, but it’s rather cool that you do too!