The Bubble Frock by Lydia Naomi Studio

My daughter wanted a little black dress and here’s that request fulfilled thanks to the Bubble Frock pattern by Lydia Naomi. With a fitted bodice and spaghetti straps, this pattern is a sweet summer classic.

The empire waist features a subtle curve and the gathered skirt has just the right amount of fullness. But my hands-down favourite feature is the bodice  – it’s horizontally princess seamed through the middle which adds both detail and shape to the bust area.

The pattern provides options for top, mini and midi lengths – my daughter’s request came in for mini. The instructions are accompanied by full colour photographs (which I always love), but if that isn’t enough, this pattern also has added the benefit of a YouTube video tutorial. And if you’re after even more guidance when it comes to the all-important bodice fit, Lydia also has you covered with another very informative video tutorial that covers full bust adjustment, small bust adjustment and gaping fix. If you’re making this pattern, I’d definitely recommend watching both of these before you get started.

The dress is closed with a centre back invisible zip. The bodice is fully lined (which I did, using self fabric) and while the pattern also suggests lining the skirt, I chose not to. Other pattern changes I made were to omit the bodice’s scallop trim and add all important side pockets.

Depending on your fabric choice, this pattern easily lends itself to excellent dress up/dress down options. I used our Nero Nerino – a gorgeous quality Italian 100% cotton poplin that’s just a little bit heavier than your usual cotton poplin and with a slight sheen.

I strongly recommend checking out all the other gorgeous Bubble Frock makes to see how very fabulous it looks in SO many different types of fabrics but, amongst all of them, the common denominator is most definitely the fact that this pattern is a total summer winner.