Nonna Makes Ep. 3: The Honey Dress & Top

To coincide with the release of our third episode of Nonna Makes, here are a few more details and photos about Silva’s latest sews for granddaughter Gabby. Merchant and Mills’ Honey Dress pattern hit the sweet spot for Gabby’s inspiration – a babydoll-style top with frills on the strap.

Source: Pinterest

Silva first made a (very) wearable toile in our Heather Check washed linen in the Gold/Navy colourway (also available in Toffee/Shell Pink and Clover/Cherry.

The pattern was shortened to Gabby’s preferred mini length and she sewed up the bodice exactly as per the pattern.

From the toile, Silva determined that the bodice was a little too wide across the front for Gabby, which you can see in the image below where it gapes slightly.

For the final version, Gabby chose our Willow Check Linen in the Rust/Rose colourway (also available in Wisteria/Navy, Slate/Silver and Khaki/Tan.

To improve the fit across the chest, Silva reduced the width of the bodice. She also lowered the neckline to more closely align with Gabby’s inspiration. As the Willow Check is a lighter 140gsm weight, Silva blockfused the outer bodice and outer strap pieces with our lightweight interfacing. The inner bodice and straps are not interfaced.

The sleeve frill was cut on the bias and finished with a narrow rolled hem, and then sewn between the inner & outer straps (frill dimensions are all shown in the ‘Nonna Makes’ video). The frill finishes closer to the front band than the back. 

A great result for Gabby with these two super sweet Honeys, fitting the brief for perfect summer pieces.