I've been wanting to move my blog away from Blogspot for a while but could never be bothered to actually do it. This week was the tipping point though, and I've now fully migrated over to https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . The blogspot address will remain here but all new posts will only appear at https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . There are lots of reasons for the move but my biggest one is how hard Blogger has made it for people to subscribe to receive new posts via email. It's such a basic requirement but apparently, they think it's too much to offer. I'm basing this purely on how I myself prefer to consume this stuff. I can't be arsed with feed readers anymore and emails are easy and convenient. When I receive one, if I fancy reading it, I will click through to it and, if not, I'll just delete it. Another reason is the spat between Google (owners of Blogger) and Instagram/Facebook/Meta. I don't even know if this is still the case anymore ...
I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling like a different person compared to who I was pre-lockdown. This year has changed me in many ways. I have learned a lot about myself and about what I actually cannot cope without - my hairdresser and the internet if you're curious. Another thing I've noticed is a shift in the sorts of shapes towards which I now gravitate when it comes to my sewing. I want all the loose clothing, please and thank you. I suspect getting older and giving less of a shit about everything has a massive part to play in this as well, but let's take a look at this particular dress for a minute...
This is the True Bias Roscoe dress and it's been around for some time. Had I ever paid attention to it until now? Not really. Have I ever thought about wearing a boho style dress before? Not at all. Do I bloody love it more than anything now that I have actually sewn one? ABSO-FREAKIN'-LUTELY! I mean, how could I not? It's super loose, mega comfy and it looks really cute. Plus, it's DEAD EASY to make.
Ok, let's start at the beginning. The dress is designed to be loose but I still sized down and, instead of making the size 4 my measurements put me in, I decided to go with a 2. I thought I might be swamped by all the fabric otherwise and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I made the dress exactly as it came but I ended up shortening the hem by 2 inches. It made me look frumpy before when the hem was hitting not quite below and not quite above my knee. It made a huge difference to the finished look. But for next time I will take the length off the bodice rather than the ruffle panel as I quite liked it wider. I'm 5'6" (1.59m) by the way.
The instructions are great. I really enjoy making True Bias patterns and I think their instructions are really well laid out. The pattern is definitely suitable for beginners but if gathering isn't your thing, you may want to steer clear. Having said that, how pretty does that neckline look? I did the same trick here as with my Sagebrush though: I sewed the binding facing the wrong side of the neckline, then flipped it to the outside and topstitched. Personally, I think it looks much nicer this way and it's way easier to achieve than stitching in the ditch and hoping to catch it on the inside.
The fabric is the star of the show though. It's the Atelier Brunette Twig Ochre which I bought along with the pattern from Fabricate last month. I was so desperate to make this that it didn't even make it into my stash. The fabric is a squirmy sod but oh, so delicious. Smooth and soft and a dream to wear. It also presses beautifully but it is quite prone to creasing. I don't mind that at all but it's something to keep in mind.
The Roscoe has been a total winner for me. I'm so glad Margaret posted her version of it because that was the kick up the bum I needed to get mine sorted, even if it was a shape and style I had never considered before. We live and learn, eh?