You can tell how long this project has been brewing by how tightly this dress is hugging me ;)

Let me explain. I bought the Nina Lee Kew Dress pattern in July 2019. I had it printed in April 2020, and cut out and adjusted all the pattern pieces based on my measurements. I duly cut out this beautiful viscose by Art Gallery Fabrics in January 2021, based on those pattern pieces. Come February, it was time to try out this lovely dress that I've been dreaming of... and what do you know? I could barely get into it!

I guess sewing and "living in" lots of comfy loungewear for the last 11 months has made me oblivious of, errm, the changes in my measurements. I mean, the world has turned upside down in that time, and my lifestyle has definitely been less active. Now I think about it, I am not surprised at all by this "development"! It is pretty silly of me to not double check before cutting out the fabric.

The good news is, that I did manage to get into it, and the buttons aren't gaping or anything. The bad news, I currently feel quite restricted in it. Thankfully, the weather is gloomy and cold right now, and there is literally nowhere and no special occasion to dress up for anyway, and when "normality" returns, I am hopeful that I will feel a bit more comfortable in it.

OK, enough about my body changes during a pandemic and lockdown. That's nothing new, right? But let me say this. I'm pretty chilled about it (even though I feel a bit bombed that the dress I've been waiting to make for so long doesn't fit all that well), because I know that my body is a moving object. It changes, and it will change again.

Back to the dress. Oh my goodness, I absolutely adore the cold shoulder detail. I had a similar dress with this detail, and always received compliments when I was in it. As much as I was dreading all the buttonholes, I did also like the look of all the buttons down the front placket. The only look that I didn't dig from version 2 of the Kew is the high-low hem.

Based on my (outdated) measurements, I made a size 6, graded to an 8 at the waist. I removed the longer hem at the back of the skirt, and shortened the bodice by an inch. I actually wish that I hadn't shortened it, because the waistline now sits a bit high for my liking. I struggled to get the straps to lie properly as well - it sounds weird, but I prefer where the strap is on my left shoulder compared to my right... I did like the construction of the dress, and in particular how the strap and cold shoulder details meet nicely.

And this fabric was so dreamy. Swoon. The colours are beautiful, with a vintage feel, and I've always had a soft spot for florals. Having recently worked with a few AGF fabrics, I was not surprised by how soft and lovely this fabric was to stroke (sorry, I mean sew).

I really did want to do it justice. It's a bit disappointing, of course, when a great pattern and a great fabric didn't produce a great garment. It's not a total fail, by any means, but I am keen to document my sewing journey honestly, which means sharing about sewing fails as well as successes.

That said, let's hope my next project is more of a win!

Until next time,

Alice from Queen of Darts (www.queenofdarts.com)

#minervamakers #minervamakes #ninaleekewdress #kewdress #coldshoulder #AGF #artgalleryfabrics #indiepattern #sewinginspo #viscose