Yes yes yes, I know I just posted about this pattern literally a month ago but there is method in the madness. If you remember back to this post, I discussed going down south to the lovely town of Denmark and spending a weekend alone in a gorgeous little cabin in the woods where I just took time out and did some sewing. I thought about sewing three garments but I found that two was more than enough and I spent my final night just enjoying the fireplace and watching movies. On my second evening, I decided to sew using the Simplicity X Lisette 1419 again but create an alternative finish.

For a while I’ve been hunting down patterns with large front central neckline bows. I like big bows and I cannot lie. And I’m doing this because I’ve had an idea in my head for about 5 years and I’m ready to start practicing as I can’t get any more of my chosen fabric. For a while I’ve been playing around with bow dresses and I’m trying to find the perfect one which is why I thought I’d see how this pattern goes. As I’ve already done a full review of this pattern, I won’t be reviewing it again but instead just sharing my thoughts and feeling of the whole sewing process.

I am definitely an Autumnal Girlie and I adore all things cozy, pumpkin, fallen leaves and warm cups of tea. Even though I live in Australia and we are heading into spring, I know all my friends in the Northern Hemisphere will be getting ready for the cooler autumn weather. I wanted to keep sewing with autumnal tones and having chosen some fabric with similar vibes, I decided to use some pumpkin fabric I had had in my stash for a while. This cotton fabric came from designer Riley Blake and I originally bought 4.5 yards from fabric.com (rip). I loved the tiny pumpkins scattered along the fabric and the rich chocolate brown of the background fabric. I knew that this fabric could be used and styled with similar tones and would be cute with chunkier knits when finished.

Sewing my dress was a simple process and I know I can smash out this pattern in a few hours. As I had sewn the same pattern the night before in just under 4 hours, I finished this dress in a similar time and got to enjoy some music whilst doing so. My little forest cabin had a fireplace which kept me cosy and warm and added to the overall cottage core fantasy I was living out.

For this particular pattern variation, I opted to add short sleeves and then I customised my own front neckline bow. I’ve always loved vintage dresses that have big bows and I thought by just trying it out, I’d have a reference for a future project I was working with. To create my bow I started by sewing two rectangle piece that I pinched together in the middle and then sewed a strap around the centre, this bow was then sewn into place. This may not be the bow of my dreams but I know that next time if I make the bow fatter and add interfacing, I will improve as I go. Sewing a bow dress for Valentines day this year, I am now able to see how different bow patterns come out in the final result and I’m sure if I try a few more patterns, come time for my big project, I will be able to create the perfect bow. It’s possible that I’m overthinking this whole thing thing but that’s just how my brain works, I’m a perfectionist over achiever and my neurons-icy brain just doesn’t stop.

When creating a cute autumnal dress, I absolutely had to add pockets because when foraging (or more for carrying snacks to be honest), I want big pockets. Overall, this dress was a fun quick sew and although she’s far from perfect, I love how she came out. Sometimes I like to sew what I call a ‘chuck on’ dress which is something I can quickly chuck on my body and run to the shops for an errand or some groceries. I like them to be simple, cute and easy to wear so I’m comfortable but it doesn’t look like I’m trying too hard. I have a few of these dresses as they are simple and comfortable and this new make will certainly be added to the list.

Sewing this dress, and the previous cosy sewing dress, has really ignited my love of sewing just for me. Personally, I am going through a bit of a tougher time and have been swamped with my never ending ‘to-do’ list so by taking time out to just sew for me has been really refreshing for the soul. I do have plenty of bigger sewing projects coming up but I am trying really hard to remember that I can still sew just for myself without having to make everything ‘a post’ or a new ‘project’. I know I’ve sewn this pattern on my blog at least four times (first, second and third attempts are here), and I know personally I will use this pattern again but I want to try and stop limiting myself in my hobbies. I know I don’t have to make everything I sew it’s own blog post but I do enjoy sharing my makes even if they are far from perfect.

In future, I really hope to continue my ‘cosy sewing’ mini series which will be more about discussing sewing as a bigger concept, sharing ideas and thoughts and discussing the importance of doing a hobby just for yourself. Of course I will be continuing to create bigger projects and keep making sewing pattern reviews, but this series will be more a mental health check in and hopefully encourage people to create for the love of creating.

Keeping everything honest, the photos I took for this post were taken a few weeks after I sewed the dress when I was back in Denmark but this time with my husband. We stayed in a gorgeous little cabin on a farm stead and in between showers of rain, we ran around the first taking these photos. I loved how the farm owners encouraged us to go walking and foraging in the forest and it’s just what I loved doing. Although I didn’t bring my sewing machine on this particular trip, shooting my cosy sewing garments was a lot of fun.

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.