Uptown Downtown dresses

Can you spot the odd one out?

Yep, it's the little one. Miss R and I are twinning! In the most traumatising way for my poor husband! Same pattern, same fabric, me and one of our girlies! Bwahahahaha!

Both Miss R and I are wearing Uptown Downtown dresses by Sew Straight & Gather. Miss R is rocking the girls' version and I look all grown up and presentable in the ladies' version (you can read more about Miss L's Tulip top here and her Satya shorts here).

Don't be fooled by Miss R's miserable look. She does not like being photographed. She loves the dress though! I made her an Uptown Downtown dress last year and she practically lived in it! This year she requested the same dress in the same fabric. Too easy!

OK this is not exactly the same pattern as last year. It is an updated version of the pattern. I recently posted about another Uptown Downtown dress I made for Miss R, so feel free to refer to that post for details about the changes to the pattern.

It is obvious Miss R is not the only one in love with her new dress. A mob of kangaroos admired it too.

So did grasshoppers!

I fulfilled Miss R's request and made a dress from bright pink Artie Pink knit from MaaiDesign. Then I decided to make a ladies' version. I was going to use fabric left from last year's MaaiDesign tour, however I was 10 cm short! Maaike didn't have any of that fabric left in stock by then, so I had to re-evaluate my options. I had enough Artie Blue for half a dress. I bought another 1.5 metres and ended up twinning with my precious big girlie. Sorry guys, I bought all what was left of this fabric!

I decided to make a sleeveless knee length version of the dress. It felt like the best option for a hot Aussie summer. My measurements put me in size S for the bodice, M around the waistline and somewhere between S and M around the hips. I have a very humble bust, so after making a muslin it became obvious I had to size down in that area, which ended up being closer to size XS. I didn't bother altering the skirt and cut it in size M.

Do I like my new dress? Nope. I love it! I feel like a lady wearing it. It is very feminine yet so comfortable!

I think it was a perfect confidence boosting project. I desperately want to sew more for myself however the need to make adjustments to a pattern intimidate me. Having made something that fits well and feels oh so good to wear makes me want to make more clothes for myself.

But before I dip my toe into making serious pattern adjustments I might make myself another Uptown Downtown dress.