Black Cats

Frocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou Frou Frocks and Frou FrouMoneta Dress: DIY from Colette Patterns

Cardigan: Boden

Shoes: Seychelles

It was a long weekend in Melbourne this past weekend. My poor boyfriend had to work two out of the three days, but I just received my most recent Spoonflower order so I bunkered down for a weekend of sewing.

Spoonflower recently had a sale on their ‘modern jersey’, the same cottony knit that I made my frockatoo dress out of. It wears and washes well, so I thought I’d buy some more yards and tun out another Moneta dress using my old pattern.

I quite fancied the idea of another Crazy Cat Lady dress, so snapped up this graphic cat face printed fabric, designed by Charlotte Winter. I thought the bold black and white print would carry me well into the cooler months when I could wear it with black tights and any number of bright coloured cardigans. It does look particularly nice with yellow though!

Frocks and Frou FrouI included the deep pockets, even though they add  bit of volume on the hips. Sometimes I choose to skip them – especially if I’m using a heavy fabric like a ponte – but they’re so useful that I put them in when I can, and the modern jersey is soft and drapey enough that pockets don’t change the silhouette too dramatically.

Frocks and Frou Frou As with a lot of my Moneta dresses I’ve found the waistband is just a bit too loose (there’s something about the way the skirt is gathered and then attached to the bodice that seems to stretch the fabric out a little) so a belt is definitely an essential:

Frocks and Frou FrouI’m pretty delighted with the result, and I’m looking forward to putting it into regular rotation in my wardrobe!

15 thoughts on “Black Cats

  1. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in becoming the owner of the Colette Crepe dress pattern, one careful previous owner? It and I are not getting along very well as I’m a total beginner so I’m looking for a new home for it.

  2. You look adorable! I would so totally dress like this if I weren’t 68! You are a great body image for young women–you prove that you can be totally cute and not be anorexic!

  3. Lovely dress! I’ve made loads of Monetas – it’s one of my favourites. I really like your yellow cardi and shoes to go with it too – looks fab 🙂 x

  4. this is darling! (and thanx for the reminder that I need to do some browsing on Spoonflower!)

    You might try stitching a row of thin elastic (1/4″) to the waist seam to help with the stretching out. It can be done while you’re sewing the dress, or after. Stretch it only the tiniest bit to give some stability to the seam without gathering the bodice.

  5. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this dress and you look fabulous in it! I adore that cardigan , too. I’d like to point out that you single-handedly made fall in love with a yellow/mustard cardigan and I just received some lovely fabric to sew one up!

    1. Anything with a knit fabric is good for beginners because the stretch eliminates a lot of the fitting issues. The Moneta does have set in sleeves, which might be a bit tricky for a total beginner, but I find that Colette’s instructions are really clear and straightforward – give it a go!

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