Back in September of 2023, I made Miss Lexi Heart a custom pageant gown using Charm Patterns Lamour Dress. Although I had used this pattern previously, I had never made myself a version with the straps so after seeing how great it made Miss Lexi look, I had to make myself one. As I’ve already written up this patterns review before, I won’t go into too much sewing detail in this post but I am still excited to share some of the creation process.
Let’s start by looking at the pattern so we can remind ourselves what we are making. The Lamour dress is from Gertie’s Charm Pattern collection and it came out a few years ago. The pattern features a sweetheart neckline with a few shoulder straps and skirt options as well. Having previously made a version for Miss Lexi Heart with tie-up shoulder straps that I really enjoyed, I was pretty inspired to make this pattern for myself. As with my previous experience with this pattern, I decided to make myself the size 6 with the c cup and add a gathered rectangle skirt. I have a 27″ waist, so I find that the size 6 gives me the best fit.
When it came time to choose my fabric, it was already, for the most part, chosen for me. Whilst fabric shopping in KL with my husband, he chose a fabric that he wanted me to make a matching dress and shirt combo for our Maldives holiday and I gave him full free reign on fabric choice. He chose a cute Super Mario cotton which featured a checked background, adorned with Mario motifs and character images. At this current moment, I cannot find a copy or dupe anywhere online if you are hunting the same fabric but I also know that it came in a range of background colours. Its a pretty cute fabric and although it’s may not have been my first fabric choice, why not, let’s go with it. Good thing I’m actually a Mario fan aye!
When it came time to sewing everything together, the familiarity I had with this pattern really helped push me along in terms of speed but I should say at this point this dress never got made for it’s intended holiday. Regardless, the fabric itself was really easy to cut and sew with. However, I did find it a little too stiff at times which makes me think it’s got quite a stiff blend within the cotton and it’s not pure cotton. The stiffness of the fabric came in really handy when it came to adding lining and boning to the bodice and I was really happy with how well the fabric managed to stay up. When it came time to gathering the skirt however, the stiffness was a little much and I had wished it was softer as the pleasts felt a little rigid and didn’t lie very flat. Since the making of this dress, I have washed and worn the garment a few times and have found she is a tad softer which makes her more comfortable. It is worth noting that due to the fabrics stiffness, the skirt did appear to have a bit of body to it as it didn’t just lay limply which meant I didn’t have to wear a petticoat or any underskirt for extra volume.
Although I had cut out pockets for this dress, in my haste to complete before my holiday, I somehow forgot to add the pockets. This was a real bummer as I have been wanting to try and rememeber to add more pockets to my garments. As mentioned above, this dress never made it to her Maldives holiday nor did she have a matching shirt but regardless, she came out pretty cute. I’m not sure if it’s just my current mental state but I find the dress a little underwhelming so I’m at this point not sure how much wear I’ll actually get out of her. Maybe once I make my husband the matching shirt I’ll feel different but for now she will live in my closet and hopefully survive the next closet purge.
Despite me making this dress way back in February/March, I only got around to properly photographing her in December (better late than never right?). These photos were taken on a cute arcade date with the husband and although it was a very warm day, we had a lot of fun and I got to beat him at Mario Kart as per tradition (I’m starting to think he just lets me win to keep the peace at this point).
At this point in time, I want to remake this dress but try a different fabric and really try to make her something special. I’ve seen this pattern sewn up to look a million dollars so I know it can be done but I don’t know if the Super Mario fabric was going to give me the same results. I might not get around to redoing this pattern very soon but it’s certainly on the never-ending future sewing list.
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