The Ready to Party Dress isn't just for events.  Oh, no.  It also makes an amazing sundress too!  

 I made up this version of the Ready to Party Dress to wear to Sew Brum at the end of September.  I love the shape of the Party Dress for day-to-day wear too, it makes me feel elegant and put together with minimum effort.  Perfect for my busy lifestyle!

I chose our Anchor Print Cotton Lawn for this version.  With it's dark base it's a fabric that you can get away with wearing in the cooler months.  Because it's a light weight lawn, I decided to fully line the dress for an extra layer and for warmth.  I used our plain navy cotton poplin.

As the bodice of the dress is already lined as part of the original pattern, adding a lining to the skirt as well is relatively simple.  You need to make a second skirt, from your lining fabric, and attach it to the bodice lining in the same way you attach the main fabric skirt to bodice.  I'd recommend doing it after you attach the bodice lining to the bodice outer or you will have an awful lot of fabric to pull through the shoulder straps and it probably wouldn't all fit!

I cut my skirt lining 3 inches shorter than my main skirt for two reasons.  First, because the cotton poplin is a narrow fabric, the full length skirt doesn't fit on the width of the fabric.  Secondly, because it guarantees that the skirt lining isn't going to poke out of the bottom of the skirt. 

This version of The Ready to Party Dress is perfect for slightly dressy day wear, and because it's fully lined it works perfectly with tights for the winter (and windy) months!

Have you sewn up the Ready to Party Dress yet?  I'd love to see your finished dress, share it with us on Instagram with the hashtag #MHWPartyDress, or any project you make with our fabrics or patterns and be in with a chance of winning a £10 voucher to spend with us each month!

Freya x