SYSL with the Jalie Bella Fit And Flare Dress

Lisa here from Not Sew Selfish, a website dedicated to inspiring and encouraging women to sew for themselves.  Sewing for myself is my hobby, and an important part of self care for me ­ a creative outlet at the end of a long day, and the chance to have some time to myself, and to do something for myself.  I’m always looking for new styles and new techniques, to challenge my creativity and learn new skills (and to end up with the most fabulous, unique, well fitting wardrobe too, let’s face it!).  

When it came time to pick a pattern for the Sew Yourself Some Love blog tour, I immediately thought of this Jalie dress pattern (#3460 Bella Fit & Flare Dress) which had been on my wish list for quite a while.  I love a fit and flare style ­ the fitted bodice and twirly circle style skirts are a bit of a go-­to style for me ­ flattering and fun to wear.  

This dress is a different kind of fit and flare from other styles, in that the flare comes out from the lower hips, rather than from the waist, so it’s closer to a pencil style skirt with flare at the bottom.  It’s somewhat more “curvylicious” than my usual style, but one of the big advantages of sewing for yourself is that you can make a style that wouldn’t normally work for you in an off the rack size, and blend sizes or adjust the fit so that it can work for your shape.  

The thing I love most about this dress are the princess seams (front and back), which mean you can play with colour blocking.  I had just bought this gorgeous faux lace knit from custom knit group Riki Prints from their Tea & Strumpets range (warning, this range does include some more adult prints, so may not be for everyone!).  I’d seen sketches of the fabric mocked up with black solids, and loved the idea of creating a subtle corset style look with this dress.  Custom knits don’t come cheap (especially when you’re in Australia!), but I think sometimes it’s important to spoil yourself with something special if you can ­ use the good fabric for yourself.   In this case, I think it was absolutely worth it.