Sewing Adventures – Modified Myosotis in blue and white with insertion lace

When I first made the Deer and Doe Myosotis I had no idea how much I would enjoy wearing it. I’ve made mine in a more relaxed fit and it is ridiculously comfortable. The two Liberty ones I made last year are in high wardrobe rotation.

So when the hot weather started to kick in before Christmas I had this idea to make a floaty barely there dress with tiny straps and no fuss that would be perfect for those days at home where it’s just so hot you can’t do anything and just spend the whole time drinking cold drinks and reading books.

This “Chia Blue” dense cotton lawn with embroidery and Japanese shibori style printed motifs from Pitt Trading was perfect for such a concept. So I didn’t have to worry about underwear colour I grabbed some cotton voile to line it with.

Then this gorgeous circular insertion lace came in at Pitt Trading and suddenly my idea morphed into something else and I found myself reaching for the Myosotis bodice and skirt.

The skirt is the longest length main skirt of the Myosotis and the ruffle is the width of the fabric just gathered in to fit. It’s possibly a little long but I ha thought of adding more rows of insertion so wanted some extra length so I could cut it and add the insertion without having to worry about adding and subtrcting seam allowances.

As it was I ended up only doing one row and now it sometimes feels slightly long but not enough to stop me wearing it. The insertion lace I cut where I wanted it to go, overlocked the raw edges of the fabric, turned it up and then stitched in the insertion. Doing it that way hides the tape along the side making it look more integrated into the garment and not like a trim plonked on top.

The bodice is the Myosotis without the collar, with the neckline modification I figured out the second time I made it to reduce the weird neck wrinkle I get. I also laid my own bodice block over it to reshape the shoulder and armhole to make it a more appropriate shape to being sleeveless.

The bodice is fully bagged out with the cotton voile and the skirt is lined to just above the insertion trim. I don’t actually need to undo the buttons I can pull it on over my head so I just stitched them on through all layers.

It’s light and breezy and perfect for hot weather.

Pattern: Myosotis by Deer and Doe

Fabric: Chia Blue purchased at Pitt Trading as was lining and insertion lace

Alterations: longer skirt, added insertion, no collar, re shaped shoulder and armhole for sleeveless, eliminated need for button holes and scooped out neck to fix neck wrinkle.