Continuing my BHL obsession… an Elisalex mash up.
For some reason I’ve been terrified of princess seams ever since I started sewing. I think it’s the fact that it’s a seam – ie, not a dart which you can adjust and move – and therefore seems very permanent.
I decided to overcome this fear by sewing the Elisalex bodice. I did a toile (which became the lining) and instantly fell in love. The back seems a little tight, as you can see from the stretch lines when I raise my arms, but other than that I was happy with the fit, after my standard back adjustments.
However, I’m not crazy about the dramatic tulip skirt in the pattern, and I didn’t feel like printing, cutting and sticking a million sheets for something I wasn’t sure I wanted to make. But I also didn’t want to completely lose that hourglass shape of the original. So, after the last dress, I used the skirt from the Sigma dress – similar shape, but less extravagant and easier to sew without the box pleats.
I just cut them out and squished the bodice and skirt together any old how, making use of the gathering to get it to fit. I’ll be making this again, and I will make the necessary adjustments to ensure the skirt fits the bodice without compromising the lines.
I used this awesome African wax print – part tree (those are acorns I think), part underwater (coral), part sky (mythical birds) this print has everything I love in African fabrics. Plus it holds the shape perfectly.
I LOVE THIS DRESS. It creates curves where I don’t have any, and makes me feel sexy as hell despite the fitting issues. It doesn’t use a ton of fabric and it’s not too difficult to sew. LOVE BHL 4EVA
machineless sewing 