Cat lady fashun

dress: Bettine by Tilly (slightly altered)

This summer I became super obsessed with double gauze. I especially love Kokka Echino and other Japanese prints but most of what I found was either too bright and busy to be easy to wear or looked like it would make super cute pajamas. I like the idea of double gauze summer pajamas but what I really wanted was a fun summer dress that I could throw on and look like I’m trying to look cute when in reality I feel like melting and couldn’t give two craps what I look like.

I kept an eye out all summer and didn’t find anything. And then sometime in November, I got opened a Stone Mountain and Daughter newsletter to a thumbnail of this georgeous print. Double gauze? Wearable print? Cats?? With GOLD crowns?? Yes please!!

Deciding which pattern was a little tricky. I thought about doing Grainline’s Farrow dress but I decided I want to sew that one in a fabric with more body (I have a thrifted chambray sheet all set for that one). Then while unpacking I came across the Bettine dress and it was perfect. I made a muslin and it fit pretty well but I did make a few adjustments.

Growing my butt at the gym has been an ongoing project, and one of the side effects is that I couldn’t sit down in the Bettine as drafted. Standing was fine, even walking was OK. Sitting, not so much. I also usually prefer a little more volume in the skirt anyway, so I slashed and spreaded to make a little more of an A-line silhouette. I also didn’t love the deep curve of the pocket edge so I made it a little more shallow. And then I traced the same adjusted curve to the pocket bag.

I think next time I would do a slight FBA to the front piece. It technically fits, but my D cup boobs feel a bit trapped. I think ladies who wear a C cup or smaller can get away with bodice fronts that are the same as bodice backs, but this one was cutting it close for me.

I always love little details that set a garment off so I looove the view with the sleeve tabs. I got some cute little gold buttons to attach and I love how they match the gold in the fabric.

7 thoughts on “Cat lady fashun”

  1. I love your dress! That print – for sure I couldn’t have resisted it myself and I think you picked the perfect pattern for it – some structure but not too much to allow some breezy movement in the skirt was the right move. I always have to do an fba – I’m just cutting out a simple blouse that has the same front and back piece and NO that definitely won’t work for me. I have to have a dart in the front always if I want a decent fit and hang. Guess how I know that? 🙂

    1. Thanks so much! Yeah, I can kind of get away with not doing an FBA but then I can only wear certain bras. 😂 I think this one was a little more forgiving because of the blousiness but I do admit I was a little skeptical when I noticed the front and back were identical.

  2. This dress is fabulous! I really love the soft ethereal look of the gauze matched with the bettine. I have a yardage question, I’m planning my first bettine and was wondering if you really need 2 meters for the smaller sizes (I’m generally a 3 or 4 in Tilly’s patterns). It just seems like a ton of fabric for a pattern with such a simple shape and a tulip skirt.

    1. Thank you!! I’ll double check when I get home but I’m pretty sure I bought the recommended amount and then ended up with at least a yard leftover, even with cutting a wider skirt.

      1. Thanks! I’ve been searching reviews online but no one mentioned how accurate the fabric requirements are. I figured they must be extremely generous since they are the same for most of the sizes

  3. Hi Ping, love the dress and your fabric choice! I really like how you spread the skirt into more of an A-line too. I’ve been on the fence about the Bettine and I realise now it was because of the skirt (as it is in the pattern). I think you’ve inspired me to try a similar skirt hack now!!

Comments are closed.