It isn’t very often that I purchase a pattern and use it quickly. But the Bubble Frock got me – I couldn’t wait! This pattern is SO stinking cute. The big full skirt, the horizontal princess seams (hello, I did not even know this was a thing!), the BUBBLES. I didn’t have any particular fabric picked out when I purchased the pattern, but I knew I wanted to grab it right away.
The fabric choice was a journey! As a Minerva Brand Ambassador, I chose a blue satin twill to work with for a project. I’m super excited that we have a couple weddings on our radar in the coming months, and I thought that I’d finally use my Rose Cafe Bustier to make a pretty wedding guest dress in the blue satin twill. Well, the fabric arrived, and it just wasn’t right for the job. It was definitely meant to be a lining material, not the star of the show, and I panicked. How would I do my ambassador thing with a lining?! So… Like a real grown up, I squeezed my eyes shut, set the fabric aside, and tried to forget about it while hoping a lightbulb idea would pop up.
A couple weeks later, I happened upon Downtown Dry Goods, a very cute fabric and notions shop in my downtown that I have somehow not noticed for years. Seriously. We visit our downtown square at least three weekends each month, and I was shocked to realize that somehow we’ve walked past this shop without me recognizing it for awhile now! It is an adorable shop, focused primarily on knitting and quilting but with a small but impressive collection of garment fabrics (lots of drool-worthy linens!). I let my little girl pick out a couple fabrics for a dress for herself, and I found this very pretty blue and gold striped Cotton + Steel fabric on the closeout rack. I had no plans for it, but I grabbed a few yards.
As soon as I got home and took it to my laundry room to prewash it, that satin twill that I’d set aside on the laundry room shelf caught my eye. The blues were super similar, and all of a sudden it clicked. How cool would it be to play with these stripes in the Bubble Frock pattern? I remembered it called for a lining, and that was that. So here it is – the cotton that I had no plan for, the satin twill that I couldn’t figure out what to do with. Turns out they work together wonderfully to make a super fun Bubble Frock!
I think this dress turned out so cute! My only complaint is my own human error. As I mentioned, I was excited to do some stripe play with this pattern. There is an option to cut the straps on the bias, so I thought well, of course – I’ve already done horizontal and vertical, I definitely need bias somewhere! Even when I originally sewed the straps in place, I had a little bit of extra length that I should’ve removed right then and there. I didn’t, and then I mistakenly hung the dress by the straps on a hanger, where it hung for many weeks before I was able to grab some photos. When I went to put it on before leaving the house, I found that (of course!) the bias straps had continued to stretch out while hanging on the hanger, so I’ve got a good bit too much length now. Whoops.
I’m so excited about this outfit, though I unfortunately don’t actually have any plans appropriate for it any time soon. I had purchased this necklace right about the same time as my fabric, and it was such a perfect match that I didn’t wear it until these pictures because I didn’t want to mess it up! Don’t worry, it’s in regular rotation now. The super fun earrings definitely don’t match my everyday clothing, but they were gorgeous and a limited edition design made for Down Syndrome Awareness, so I couldn’t pass them up. And the shoes… These shoes have moved homes with me and been a favorite of mine for many years. But I have NEVER WORN THEM because they were too pretty and I didn’t want to ruin them! So please, y’all, invite me to your fancy event so I can wear my gorgeous shoes and shiny earrings and big fun dress again soon!
Dress: handmade by me
Pattern: Lydia Naomi – Bubble Frock
Fabric: Downtown Dry Goods – Cotton + Steel Wonderland Metallic Cheshire Stripe Cobalt
Lining: Minerva – Viscose Acetate Satin Twill in Blue
Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Prym Sewing Machine Needles
Gutermann Sew All Polyester Sewing Thread
Thanks for reading my thoughts on this pattern! The lining fabric used for this post was provided to me by Minerva in exchange for photos of my finished garments and a review of my experience with the fabric, to be posted on their website. The main fabric and pattern were purchased by me. All words and opinions expressed throughout this post are my own, as always. Links provided throughout this post may be affiliate links – if you choose to purchase any products through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This simply helps me justify the costs of my sewing habit and the time it takes to share it with you!! Happy Sewing!
- XX Elizabeth
