My latest project is the Deer and Doe Centaurée dress – a charming sun dress.

With this summer being hotter than the sun, I really wanted to make a dress out of cotton lawn. I love Centaurée’s cute straps and summery shape, so it was a match!

I added a soft knit lining to the bodice to comfortably eliminate the need for a bra. I cut the knit pieces just like the woven ones, and basted the finished lining in before sewing the side seams. The lining seams didn’t match up very well, given the grossly off-target stretchy fabric I was using, but the lining feels great and serves its purpose well!

I made a straight size 38 with no adjustments. It fits perfectly and snugly. Pairing it with my “Classic” Mélilot shirt is my new favorite outfit.

This was my first experience with a side zipper. I was tempted to add a pocket to the zipper side, but played it safe and only added one to the non-zip side seam. Cowardice aside, I’m very glad to have a pocket!

The neckline and straps are all made from bias tape, which is applied with the zipper up, closing the top of the zipper seam. This is probably standard procedure for side-zips, but I had to do a little research to figure it out.

I really love this dress! I will make more next summer -with 2 pockets!

So you probably noticed my hallway has changed. That’s because…we bought a house! Soon, I will have my own sewing space, a closet to be precise.

This dress is the last project I made in my apartment. My fabrics and accouterments were packed for over 3 weeks! I’ve slowly been unpacking them as I get more space set up.

At present, I have a desk and my old cabinet in place. The plan is to add shelving inside the closet, which it already has on one side. It will be nice to have all my tools and notions near me when I sew.

There’s a slew of exciting new projects I can tackle: Aprons…curtains…coveralls for gardening! I made blackout curtains for the living room already and will share them soon.

Thanks for reading!