I just love a lot of the Duchess and Hare patterns. They have such a sweet vintage vibe, which is what drew me back to sewing when Layla was a toddler.



This new dress, the Sugar and Spice was first advertised for testing way back in October. At the time I saw it and loved it, but just couldn't commit to the testing process because of life getting in the way.



So I actually did a double take when it was put back up this month. I had a strange sense of Deja vu, that I'd seen the dress before, but couldn't put my finger on it. It was only when I was accepted into the testing group that I realised it was the dress I'd loved before.... Sometimes I'm such a twit ;)



I threw myself wholeheartedly into the test, and tried to get my dress finished quickly. I went off piste, and asked if I could use horsehair braid in the skirt hem which was agreed. But then it became clear that simply machine sewing it into the hem of the satin would look odd. So I spent two days, yes, you read that right, two days handsewing the horsehair braid into the skirt hem, approximately 4 metres of it (did I mention this is almost a double circle skirt?!).



But the dress just didn't hang right. I sat it on my dummy, and photographed it, and primped and preened it. I put Layla in it, and photographed her, and tried to make it sit right. But it was just wrong. The braid was fighting the satin and the pleats in the skirt too badly. On a very low day, of tears (building work in my house is now bringing me to tears), and general miserableness, I unpicked the entire hem. It only took about 10 minutes to do. I ironed the whole thing out again and made up my own satin bias to hem the skirt that way (who knew that the designer would be right.... oh yeah, everyone except me!).



So I did machine stitch the bias into the skirt hem this time. Yes, it would have looked better to be handsewn again, but I simply didn't have an extra two days time to do it. My handsewing is slow!



I made my dress with a silk satin bodice, and a poly duchess satin skirt and collar. The lining was a cotton lawn. I made my own bias binding for the skirt from the silk satin as a contrast colour. The dress is closed in the back with an invisible zip which is enclosed in the bodice within the lining. The skirt is a very full almost double circle, which is pieced and pleated into the bodice. It's a fabric hungry pattern because of the skirt, but if you use a non-nap, non-directional print, tessellates nicely onto the fabric.



I love the collar that rolls round from the front into two points at the dropped back. And the included petticoat pattern adds that extra oompf (if you don't use super heavy duchess satin!).



This Sugar and Spice dress, along with several others will be in the Black Friday sale, with 40% off storewide, running until midnight, Monday 26th (PST).



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*Disclaimer: Some of the links in the post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission (the price stays the same for you) which will help me in the future to buy more patterns to share them with you!*