Centaurée 2

Summer is in full swing, so I decided to make a second sundress using some gorgeous crisp cotton in my stash. It’s been slated for a Regilisse dress since I bought it, but it turns out I didn’t have enough.

So I made a Centaurée instead! It’s a is cute, strappy sundress, which I made once before. It’s my favorite summer dress.

My fabric has been stashed for far too long! I accidentially folded it wrong sides out after pre-washing, so it was even prettier than I had remembered.

It’s a hand dyed indigo batik from Hoffman fabrics called Southwestern Weave in Denim. It required pre-washing and it came with instructions to wash it cold with salt first to set the dye fully.

I made the pattern in a straight size 38 and added about 2″ to the length of the skirt. At first, I wasn’t going to line the bodice, so I finished all the seams with a zig-zag stitch and pinking shears. But I kept worrying about the white fabric showing off more than I wanted, so I lined the front.

The front bodice of this pattern holds most of the style, its intersecting pieces meeting at a single point in the middle. Matching them is the pattern’s main challenge. I confess that my first version came out a little crooked. It motivated me to do better this time!

I cut all the pattern pieces without using pins. It results in much more accurate cutting but you do have to be careful. The pieces can also be confusing, so I lay them all out in order first and lay the pattern pieces next to the fabric pieces. I do the top layer first, then flip the next set right sides up and stitch them too.

If you’re really careful and diligent with your seam allowance, the front comes out perfectly! I was pretty proud of myself.

Normally I use French seams in a bodice. My french seams are very reliably 1/2″ but I’m less confident doing 5/8″ and this dress requires accuracy for the best fit. I used a bias binding finish on the non-zip side and a zig-zag stitch for the zipper.

Another modification I made was adding a side pocket. I didn’t have enough fabric for 2 because I sacrificed one for the bodice lining.

I made bias tape from the fabric for the straps and neckline finish.

This dress turned out really well! I like this pattern alot. It’s relatively simple but the multi-piece bodice and the bias finished neckline provide enough of a challenge to keep me interested while making it.