A new year, a new dress

I spent Christmas in Bali. Not surprising, as I live in Perth. Here's what the flight plan looks like:

Before leaving, I asked a sewing friend who had been to Bali if she had any tips for me. She referred me to her blog post about shopping for fabric in Bali. I was sold!

So, I hired a driver and set out one day for Alta Moda Fabrics. It was everything Meggipeg had promised. Floor to ceiling fabrics over 4 floors; "floors" being another word for "fabric storage space":

I came away with 4 fabrics, a total of 9 metres. The experience was definitely enhanced by the fact there was a 50% off sale on, so everything was half price. Here's my 4 purchases:

First up I chose to make a simple shift dress with the most expense fabric - an Italian cotton with a waffle weave and a brilliant graphic floral design. I think it worked out to about A$14 a metre and I only bought 1m:

The fabric was so rich I didn't want to make anything too complicated:

In order to squeeze the dress out of 1m of fabric there are no facings, but the neckline and armholes are finished with a vintage bias from my grandmother's stash. (I followed this tutorial to attach the bias.)