don’t be a Cissy…

Homer and Howells asked me if I would like to try one of their new PDF patterns so I chose the Cissy dress as it’s very much a style of dress I like to wear, comfortable, slightly roomy, pockets (natch) and enough details to make it appealing whilst showing off interesting fabric choices. It’s a slightly boxy fit on the bodice with deep pleats on the skirt front and back. I made a 14 according to my body measurements, it’s certainly comfortable although I might be tempted to size down slightly next time for a marginally closer fit without getting too tight. The sleeves are bracelet length and I reckon I’ll take them up a bit next time, maybe nearer the elbow but again that’s merely a personal choice. The skirt is quite long with a deep hem which I like but there’s no reason why you couldn’t make it shorter, or even make it more of a peplum top ( you would probably need to leave the pockets out then) The neck is finished with bias binding, I don’t think there’s a pattern piece ( maybe I missed it in cutting out the pieces?) no matter, I used some ready-made binding in my stash, in fact the whole dress was made using stash items including the zip and pocket bags! The diagrams and instructions are nice and clear and easy to follow although, as ever, I went a bit off piste with my zip by making it an exposed one which I’m always get a bit in a muddle inserting so don’t look too closely! I then found that I don’t need to undo the zip to get the dress on so you can possibly leave it out depending on how close you want the fit. This is probably a half day sew if you’re sticking to the basic pattern but there are loads of ways you could mix it up-exposed bias binding neck finish, short sleeves, NO sleeves, peplum skirt, I used a woven cotton-type but a stable knit would probably work well as well. Broderie Anglaise with a contrast lining would look pretty for summer too, and of course a lovely linen. A very versatile pattern!