I’ve been meaning to revisit By Hand London’s Flora dress since my first make in Spring. It’s an adaptable pattern; you can choose between a tank neckline and a faux-wrap style bodice – essentially two very distinct dresses within one pattern. There is also an option to make the circle pleated skirt straight or with a dipped hem. I opted for the tank neckline as it’s a bit more suitable to the cold weather and more suited for the workplace than the slightly more revealing V-neck of the faux wrap. I went for the straight skirt for the same reason. Having made the dipped hem version previously, I knew it was too short for my purposes this time around. I had hoped to extend the length of the skirt but the fabric wasn’t just wide enough to accommodate it; it’s 58” but it seems to have shrunk a little in the wash. When I received this fabric, I actually had something else in mind but I really needed the extra couple of inches in width to make it properly.

The Flora skirt lends itself perfectly to scuba fabric. I’ve never sewn with scuba before but I plan on using it more in the future. This particular fabric was so easy to cut and sew and it really does naturally lend itself to creating structure – the knife and box pleats of the skirt look great in scuba.
The Flora dress is intended to be made in woven fabrics rather than stretch so I did have to make a few alterations to the pattern:

Firstly, in terms of size, I downsized one size from when I made it as a woven pattern and took an inch out of the neckline; however, I am not making full advantage of the stretch of the scuba and if you wanted to, you’d probably be able to make the pattern a couple of sizes smaller. Saying that, you need to bear in mind that scuba can be a warm fabric (hence me making it to get me through the winter season rather than summer) so I quite like the fact that there’s room for breathability. Saying that, though, this is a perfect fabric to make tight fitting dresses or pencil skirts.

Secondly, scuba doesn’t really lend itself to lining for reasons such as it’s already warm and a little bit bulkier so I skipped the lining and made a 2” wide facing for the bodice pieces instead. Under-stitching and stitching in the ditch under the armholes help keep it in place. Remember, scuba doesn’t lend itself to ironing so these little things make such a huge difference to the finish of the garment.

Thirdly, and lastly, I omitted the back seams and zips and cut the back bodice and back skirt pieces on the fold – one major bonus of stretch fabrics is that you can avoid the work of putting in a zipper (although, I quite enjoy putting zips in).
I have never had many stretch garments in my wardrobe but I think the pandemic, which has seen us staying at home much more (and working from home, too) has given me cause to start making clothes that are as comfortable as they are stylish. This gorgeous red rose print on black has offered just that.

The pattern itself is an absolute breeze and the garment can be made in an afternoon; a couple of hours max in this case as the zip can be omitted, the facing means no hand stitching of a lining to the waist and, given the qualities of scuba fabric, it doesn’t need hemmed. You can leave the raw edge if you want to (which I have opted to do in this case).

I’m starting to understand the appeal of stretch fabrics; and I’m amazed at how transferrable patterns can be, too. I have very few patterns intended for stretch fabrics as my style preferences lend themselves to patterns intended for woven fabrics. If you’re interested in trying to adapt your woven patterns to stretch fabrics, this is a good fabric to start with; scuba offers the best of both worlds by offering stretch and structure, simultaneously. I can’t wait to try more scuba projects.

We’re back in full lockdown in Northern Ireland and the weather is pretty atrocious, so I’ve had to settle for taking pictures at home today! Even the dogs don’t want to go out in the cold and snow! Saying that, this scuba dress is so comfy, I'm happy to stay home in it.

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