An Ikat Bettine, and a little baby bump!

So those who have seen my latest vlog will have already seen this, my latest make – as well a my exciting news… that I’m pregnant! Over the moon, and little mini person is due February 2017.  Eeeek!

Anyway, back to the dress….! I started this project way back in September at the Sewing Weekender. It was intended to be a quick sew project which I could finish in 1 day of sewing. That was ambitious! Ha. I was too busy having fun with new sewing friends and ended up only just cutting out my pieces. Ok, I did manage a tiny bit of the bodice, but that was it.

When I got round to finishing this (ok it did take me a while…) I decided that the fabric was a little too sheer to not line at least the skirt. So that’s exactly what I did. I had some spare white lining fabric in my stash, so I just used that – which felt good to not have to buy any more fabric.

The pattern is the gorgeous Bettine by Tilly and the Buttons. I have made a Bettine before, so I knew I’d love it! It’s such a great dress – and one which would be perfect for any beginner dressmaker too.

I absolutely adore the Ikat navy blue on this fabric. It’s so pretty! This fabric was kindly given to me by online shop Stoff & Stil. They have some incredible, fashionable fabrics on their site and I’d highly recommend checking them out.

So with my growing baby belly, I knew I wanted to wear the elasticated waistline fairly high, so that it sits above my bump. This means that the bodice kind of drapes over the waistline, which I actually really like!

Anyway, this dress might not last me too long before the bump is too big to fit in, but it’s such a lovely ‘small bump’ dress after I added extra ease to the skirt.

So my love affair with Bettine continues, and long may it last!

Alterations:

-Added ease to the skirt (can’t remember how much!).

-On fitting, needed to remove some of said ease towards the top of the skirt.

-Added a couple of inches length to the skirt.

Pattern: Tilly and the Buttons Bettine

Fabric: Ikat Woven Viscose, Stoff & Stil