Penny at the Picnic

I love my chambray Penny Dress by Sew Over It so much, that I had to make another one! This time, in Robert Kaufman 1" Carolina Gingham in Coral. Coral is one of my favorite colors for clothing, and this particular fabric is so cheery. 

Pattern matching was an absolute bear! Well, I suppose I can't complain too much, because the fabric was perfectly on grain. I just loathe the whole pinning and cutting part of sewing, so anything that prolongs that experience is not my cup of tea. But I knew it would look dreadful if it didn't match, so I took my time and pinned (and re-pinned!) with as much care as I could.

I pattern matched pretty accurately up-and-down, but didn't think about the placket --
so the center front is a bit "wide." Not enough of a problem to bother me!

I'm still a bit amazed that it worked! First of all, my fabric was not the required width for the pattern. Fortunately, the pattern piece fit (and I was even able to lengthen it a bit), and still eke out enough fabric for the other pieces. I was also a bit skeptical about how the skirt would look in gingham, but I love how it turned out.

The extra bodice length definitely helps, and I really like the fit of this Penny. I had scaled my first dress to be a bit wider toward the waist to match the sizing chart, but there's extra fabric there that I don't need. So I cut this one to match my bust size, and it worked like a charm. The elasticized waist is forgiving!

Check out the pattern matching at the collar! The nice thing about a sturdy-ish cotton
is that it doesn't shift much while sewing. 

It's still a bit chilly here to wear this dress, but I'm eager for warmer temps! This dress really didn't take long, especially a second time. And I didn't make any of the silly mistakes I made the first time, so there was less seam ripping -- always a plus. 

 Now I have a Penny that's perfect for a picnic -- as long as I'm not mistaken for a tablecloth! *wink*