This is the Sewaholic Nicola dress, a pretty little number with some very sweet details. A perfect party dress!
I've adored the Sewaholic Nicola and Harwood ever since they came out, although I feel like they've gotten the shaft in the online sewing world. I saw one iteration of the Nicola on Pattern Review, and the sewist said the style reminded her of 90's dresses. And so my corduroy dress was born!
The fabric is this oxblood corduroy, with Merchant & Mills blockprint cotton as a contrast. And the buttons are these little guys. Very festive! The pattern calls for at least 55" wide fabric because of the long, wide skirt but my fabric was narrower. I shortened the skirt a lot, which is more to my taste and keeps this particular dress from looking dated.
I love this dress in corduroy, though I think some aspects of the design are lost in it, such as the grace of the gathers and the slightly billowy sleeves.
I made my own piping (a first for me), and I think it went pretty well. Although, I forgot to put it in before I sewed up the yoke, so I had to take it all apart. I almost didn't do it because I knew it would be no fun, but it was part of my original vision, so I forced myself to fix it.
The pattern instructions were very well-written, and I would have fumbled a lot had I not followed them. Everything inside can be finished very cleanly, which I appreciate. Speaking of finishes, most of this dress is finished with French seams, and a few are done with bias tape. Sewing Horror Story : I once had to make French seams in corduroy using a 1/4" seam allowance, so I like to think I'm a pro at them now (thanks, Children's Corner).
So, there's my dress! I'm very pleased with my color scheme, I think it's holiday-y without being overly Christmas-y.
