Lyra in the Lagoon

Well good morning all! Have you missed me?!

Probably not but I'll not hold that against you heehee.

I've obviously been very AWOL from the blog, and once again debated whether to start up or not, but here we are, and coming in with a very jazzy little number whilst post-chemo and pre-radiotherapy and able to take some pics at last!

Full disclosure as always - this fabric was gifted to me by Minerva in exchange for a post on their site. But can you blame me this fabric is awesome. 

This particular work of art is the ‘Lagoon’ border print viscose challis fabric.

Although it says ‘border’ print – the design actually spans the entire width of the fabric, quite literally from sea to sky on this one. Wherever you look there is a completely different creature or flower to spot. Beautiful tropical fish in the lagoon, water plants and foliage, coming up through blossoms and tropical flowers to the bright birds above!

I have absolutely gone through the motions on what to make with this one and have sat on it for quite a while. It WAS going to be a Lahja robe for summer dressing down vibes, and it would absolutely make a great robe. That being said I already have one, and I felt this needed to be worn out and about.

After further deliberation I settled on the Tilly and the Buttons Lyra Dress as it has details, but not so many that it breaks up the print too much. That print definitely needed to be showcased. 

I wanted this dress to be very roomy and flowy at the middle so that I could nip it in at the waist. Therefore, this pattern has been hacked a little.

First up was moving the darts from the side seam to the waist seam. I intended to then gather the darts closed but I forgot in the end but it didn’t really matter due to the ‘loose’ look that I was after.

The Lyra Dress also had tiered skirt pieces however I wanted full length so as not to cut into the design or distort it too much with ruffles. I just free-handed two big rectangles for the skirt. I then laid the bodice at the top of the rectangle and just shaped the skirt piece in to match the bodice waist width. Definitely not professional but definitely worked. 

 Yes, I added pockets to the skirt. Just popped the original pocket pieces in, 3 inches down from the waist seam.

 The buttons from the bodice are Pigeon Wishes and are just beautiful. The colours just match the fabric perfectly picking out those pink and blue hues. 

For the finishing touches I made a belt – well, assembled a belt. I had this lovely vintage Kissing Frogs belt clasp and so threaded a piece of lilac elastic through the loops. Voila, one adjustable and comfy belt. 

I also love this print as it reminds me of one of my best friends. She used to have a pet cockatiel called Simone when we were kids, so I had to feature ‘Simone’ in pride of place on my shirt. She’s on the front and back. The massive heron was also placed on the front skirt so I could see all the creatures when wearing it. 

In the end I now have a super whimsical and fun dress for Spring/Summer. I’ve even worn it ::gasp:: 

And just in case we were wondering how social media works....

 

 Thanks for stopping by - feel free to comment and come and say hello on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Bloglovin too xxx