Pink clouds Bettine in jersey

The Bettine pattern is seriously addictive. Whilst I was sewing my floral version, I went through my stash to single out fabrics for further iterations. It’s such a versatile pattern and the loose style means you can use knits as well as wovens.

I found this pink jersey in a shop in Walthamstow and scored it for a jaw dropping 50p a metre. So the cost of this make was £1! I would’ve paid more as I love the print. The design reminds me of little pink clouds.

I made a few changes as I was using jersey and followed Tilly’s tips here. I cut a neckband to replace the facing and this is the neatest knit neckband I’ve done to date. The jersey pressed really well and the neckband lies nice and flat. No need for top stitching, which always freaks me out in case I mess up.

Having already made this in a woven, I knew I had to shorten the bodice further to do away with the excess bagging. I also shortened the sleeves, leaving out the cuffs and tapered the seam lines at the hips to remove the exaggerated tulip shape of the skirt. I had to do this a few times as the jersey was sagging at the side seams. I also lengthened the skirt to just above the knee. I sewed a size 4, same size as my woven version.

The one glitch I had with this was finishing the hems. I used a twin needle but I couldn’t get the tension right and kept getting a bump between the two stitch lines. So in the end I unpicked the worst of it on the sleeves and used a zig zag instead. I left the twin needle stitching on the hem as I convinced myself that it wasn’t too bad. Oh to get the same finish as RTW hems. Any tips welcome!

This dress is the perfect summer dress and I got to wear it last weekend when the sun finally made an appearance. The cotton jersey is soo soft and comfy. Bettine sewn in jersey is the secret pyjamas of the dress world.