Topaz Hammered Satin Elodie Wrap Dress

The team at The New Craft House asked me to join their ambassador team a couple of months ago and I was really excited by the prospect of working with their fabrics. All the fabrics they stock are deadstock and sourced from local designers. Deadstock fabrics are left over once collections have been manufactured, which means when buying this fabric you are using up waste products rather than buying 'new'. I've been thinking a lot about the sustainability of my sewing recently, given that I like to sew a lot. Looking in to where your fabrics come from and have been manufactured can be quite a daunting process so buying deadstock is a straightforward place to start.

The way these fabrics are sourced also means that The New Craft House stock all sorts of interesting and often quite unusual dressmaking fabrics. If you've got something very specific in mind you may end up disappointed as the turnover of fabrics is quite quick (given that there is usually just a roll of each fabric left over) and the type of fabrics they stock change regularly depending on what designers are using. So one month there might be a lot of linen and the next month none, there isn't a permanent 'linen' section if you get what I mean. However, there are some real gems on their site especially if you are looking for something special and if you browse with an open mind and wait for inspiration to strike there is something to suit every taste. As some of the fabrics are unusual it can be quite hard to envision what is going to arrive in the post when your order it so I can't wait for lockdown restrictions to ease so we can go to one of their open days and browse in person.

I was certainly quite overwhelmed with inspiration as I looked through and it took me quite a while to settle on a project. I always find myself with so many sewing ideas as spring approaches don't you? I'm so much more excited to sew for warmer weather. I also found browsing through all these delights gave me the much needed boost to sew something more frivolous and dramatic, ready for a time when we can socialise again! I finally plumped for this beautiful Topaz Hammered Viscose Satin, which caught my eye in a video on the NCH Instagram.

I've had the Closet Core Patterns Elodie Wrap Dress pinned to my sewing pattern wish-list since it was released and when I got my hands on this fabric I thought it would be a good match for the style. I wanted to make view B of the pattern in the midi length with the longer sleeves and to make the most of this I think you definitely need something with a fluid drape. The shorter version and shorter sleeves would look lovely in a crisp cotton too but I was after billowing drama! This dress is perfect to show off a fabric which moves beautifully and this hammered viscose certainly does that. It is however, a very lightweight fabric and quite sheer in the light so I will definitely need to wear a slip with this.

The colour is stunning and I'm really pleased with how it has shown up in photos as it can be quite changeable in different lights due to the satin finish. It is this beautiful rich golden yellow which sometimes looks quite matte and other times catches the light and glows. I don't know why but I've always imagined yellow to be a difficult colour to wear. However, after following Jasika's journey with colour and realising that I suit warmer tones I'm loving it! I liked that the texture didn't completely disappear when I pressed it (as sometimes happens a bit with a fabric like crinkly double gauze). The puckered effect was slightly more pronounced when washed and then smoothed out slightly when pressed but it retains that hammered finish nicely. It adds a bit of interest and depth to the solid colour.

This dress is such an elegant design and I feel great in it. I can see myself making this pattern time and time again as with the variations in length and sleeve length plus different fabric choices I think it could work for lots of occasions. Despite looking like a simple dress (in a very chic way) it is actually quite a big sew as it requires a lot of careful stay stitching and handling to achieve a beautiful finish and avoid any of those bias edges stretching out as you sew. This did force me to slow down which was actually really great!  I often find myself doing this and enjoying the process with Closet Core Patterns; I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is the little details and encouragement in the instructions to use appropriate techniques. There is something lovely and mediative about getting lost in concentrating on a big project. 

Given the delicate nature of this fabric and all the bias edges of the pattern pieces, I was worried about getting a rippled effect along the front opening of the skirt but the stay-stitching appears to have done the trick. I liked that the stay-stitching was often used as a pressing guide in the instructions. A great way of achieving a neat and even pressed edge quickly.

The instructions include lots of tips to prevent stretched out edges and gaping in the front. I am really impressed with how nicely that wrap front sits across the body and doesn't gape. I'm quite short in the body so often have problems with wrap necklines gaping because they are too long so I took the time to carefully look at the bodice length and adjust it beforehand. I cut the size 6 and shortened the bodice at the lengthen/shorten line by 3/4". I then ended up taking 1.5" off the hem of the dress to make it a midi length that works for me (I'm 5ft 3" for reference). I like the slight dip of the hemline. It is quite a modest wrap neckline so your personal preference may be to lower it a little but I think that sits nicely with the elegance of the rest of the dress. And I love that I can comfortably dance around it it without the bodice shifting around of gaping at all!

I didn't particularly like the waistband method when it came to creating the slit for the tie to pass through. It was really fiddly and difficult to create a nice clean finish when using a shifty fabric like this. In the end to make it a little easier I snipped into the seam allowances as instructed and then tacked these down by hand so they were out of the way when it came to hand-stitching the edges of the slit closed. This helped a lot and I'm really pleased with the clean finish I managed to achieve.

I debated interfacing the waist ties to help them hold their shape as my fabric was so lightweight but in the end opted to stick with the pattern instructions and not. This turned out to be the right choice as they look fine without and I wouldn't have wanted them to end up looking bulky.

After all the deliberation over what fabric to choose I'm really pleased I settled on this. I couldn't be happier with the finished result and can't wait to get out to a party!! I've also fallen a bit in love with Victoria's velvet Elodie and have plans for a top version in a velvet with burnt out polka dots which I bought at a New Craft House gathering a couple of years ago. It will definitely be a sewing challenge in that tricky fabric but I'm up for it!