Sewing Simplicity X Lisette 1419

Lately I have had a lot on my plate so when I got the opportunity to go down south to the charming town of Denmark to celebrate a dear friends birthday, I was really excited for the chance. I’ve always loved the idea of owning a cottage in the woods so renting a small cabin tucked into the stunning Australian forest for a weekend on my own complete with fireplace was simply a dream. Of course, I packed my sewing machine and was able to do a little cosy sewing. With the cooler weather still out in full force, I wanted to sew something with cottage core vibes or at least something lovely and autumnal. As I wanted to sew something more for me, I wanted to use a sewing pattern which is one of my favourites so check here and here for a better pattern review. For this post, I just wanted to share my a little bit of my mini sewing weekend getaway; cosy edition.

Come one evening in my woodland cottage, it was raining outside, I had the fireplace keeping me nice and toasty and a fresh mug of tea, it was time to sew. One of my favourite patterns is the Simplicity X Lisette 1419 pattern which I have definitely reviewed (twice already) on my blog. I know it’s not a new pattern but it’s honestly a favourite and I was just itching to sew something using it again. Going through my fabric stash I started reaching for anything with an autumnal tone which is where I landed on some stunning mustard gingham cotton from the Flower Market collection by A Beautiful Mess. This fabric was originally purchased from fabric.com (rip) and I don’t think it’s available easily anymore (if you find more online, please let me know, this fabric collection stole my heart). This fabric came from the same collection as this sewing project and this sewing project; both of which resulted in some stunning dresses. The warm mustard tones of this dress make me so happy so I thought that with the Lisette 1419 pattern and a white collar, it would be a super cute little dress.

Gingham is so easy and fun to work with when it comes to sewing that this project absolutely made me realise that I need to use up more of the gingham in my fabric stash. I particularly love the warm golden mustard tones of this particular gingham and I’m glad that I have a little left over as I’m really hoping that I can make some shorts out of the left overs (here’s hoping!). With this dress design, I also wanted to add a white collar as it gives it a sweeter, more whimsical and cute vibe to the whole outfit. I didn’t actually have any white cotton fabric in my stash as I had recently used it up so I found an old men’s business shirt that I had chopped up for a previous project and due to my mild hoarding tendencies, I kept the scraps. I ended up cutting the collar out of the sleeves and it worked really well.

Sewing in a new space is always an interesting experience; it can take a little while for you to get used to the layout and if you’ve travelled, there’s always that fear that you have forgotten something vital. Luckily, due to my over the top planning and list making, I didn’t forget anything. The small table I had to work with was a little cramped but at the end of the day, it was good enough and I was just happy to have somewhere cute to sew.

Sewing is a comfort activity for me; it’s my happy place so I always try to make the environment cosy and inviting. To ramp up the cosiness; as said above, I lit a fire in the cute little fireplace the cabin had provided, I brought one of my larger Disney mugs along for the trip which was filled with my favourite tea and to match the rainy weather outside, I listened to an audiobook reading of Coraline by Neil Gaiman which was the perfect choice for such an evening. The audiobook was so charming and delightful to listen to and since it had been quite a while since I had read Coraline myself, it was a nice little trip down memory lane. The recording was only 3 and a half hours long which just so happened to be the exact amount of time I needed to complete my dress. I loved having the book finish as I was completing the final few stitches along the hem and I could do my final pressing to the Coraline soundtrack. Honestly, this whole evening has made me want to sew something Coraline themed or at least remind myself how to knit so I can knit a copy of her star jumper.

Just incase anyone was worried, I made sure to be really respectful of how I went about sewing this garment. Of course I made sure my machine couldn’t be heard outside my cabin so I wasn’t disturbing anyone around me (the closest cabin to me was still a little ways down the hill so that also meant that I was safe to sew into the night). I also am very particular with my loose threads and I make sure to pick them off and throw them into a designated sewing trash bag as I go about my project. Further more, I swept up all sewing scraps and dust that was created and I think I left the cabin very clean and tidy. I would never sew if it was too loud and disturbed other people and there’s no way I’d leave a huge sewing mess for anyone to clean up but myself.

Sewing the Simplicity X Lisette dress was really simple to do; the bodice is darted and has facing which means it was put together without any issues. The only brain fart I had during the whole process was that I miscalculated where to attach my collar so it was a little further apart than I’d like but I evened it up a little by sewing a little tuck into the neckline which I think looks kind of cute. I made sure to add little sleeves to the dress as I figured it would add to the overall cuteness. I made the skirt out of three fabric width panels at 27 inches long and of course I added pockets because I’m trying to take time out to do that for most of my projects this year.

I love how this dress turned out and I’ve already worn it several times since its creation. I kind of wish I made this dress sooner as it’s perfect for autumn. Taking time out for cosy sewing was such a delight that it made me realise I need to take more time out to sew for myself and not worry too much about wether people will like the post I make about it. I don’t want to feel like I can’t make another dress out of a sewing pattern I have shared before especially when it’s one I loved so much. I know this isn’t my usual sewing pattern review but seeing as I’ve used a pattern I’ve already shared twice, I just wanted to share something a little different. Creating this dress brought me so much joy; the entire evening was an act of self care and it made me realise I really need to take more time out to have such evenings.

Although I doubt ‘Cosy Sewing’ will become an on going mini series on this blog, I do hope it’s something I can share with you at least once a year. I do suffer quite badly from seasonal depression so such a getaway can be such a breath of fresh air and so inspiring. I had three nights all to myself and I managed to sew for two of those evening. On my final evening, although I planned to sew, I ended up just watching a movie which is something I hadn’t done in a long time. I will be sharing the second garment I made during my cosy getaway and I am contemplating sharing a video of the weekend on my YouTube channel but all that is still under discussion (mainly because my camera died and I was just so happy sewing I didn’t notice I missed the ending of my sewing projects).

My final garment is a dream and I love wearing it, especially with a cosy cardigan. It’s certainly a garment that will get a lot of wear and it’s inspired me in many ways. This entire weekend away was such a delight that I already want to plan my next one. I hope you love my final dress as much as I loved creating it. Wishing you all a very cosy weekend of sewing.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.