I particularly like the ‘stork’ print offered by Fabricland. I have already made up a dress in the Duck Egg Blue background colourway. When I visited the store recently (to purchase some interfacing) I noticed that there was another colourway featuring Teal Blue and Mustard. I had to have it!

Although I did not know exactly which style dress I would make, I purchased 4 metres at £4.95/m.

Having thought about it for several days, I knew that I wanted to make a ‘Penny’ dress by Sew Over It but the problem was the skirt is cut as a single half-circle but this fabric has a very definite one-way design and if I did cut according to the suggested pattern layout, then the storks would be at right angles to the seams. The solution would be to cut the skirt in panels and thus make the angle of orientation of the storks less pronounced.

I cut out the pattern and was able to retain a piece of approximately 25 cms (10 inches) of the full width of fabric. I am sure that I can use that on another project – most probably a belt from Harlequin.

I made my usual adjustments for this pattern – lengthened the front bodice by 3 inches at centre front grading to 1.5 inches at the side seam. Made a sway back adjustment for the back bodice. Ignored the back neck facing and stitched the centre back of the collar directly to the neckline of the back bodice. I also included my preprinted label ‘Carousel’ in the back bodice.

Although I count this design as a TNT pattern for some reason the construction was slow but I am very pleased with the finished dress. I have put together a ‘flat lay’ to demonstrate how this dress might be worn – with a Mustard boiled wool jacket or Mustard jersey shrug, Teal shoes and possibly an ‘Aztec’ design leather belt.

All bodice and skirt panel seams were French seamed and as the skirt was cut in panels I was able to include concealed side seam pockets. The elastic casing was over locked as was the narrow hem before stitching with a straight stitch. The armholes are finished with self bias binding and there are three buttons from my stash, stitched to the top of the button band that are simply decorative (no buttonholes).