Bold, Bright and Beautiful: A Voluptuous Bubble Frock in Faille Cotton

Bubble Frock in Sophie Black Lightweight Faille Cotton

The moment I saw the Sophie floral print fabric which is part of The Fabric Store’s new line of Faille cottons, my jaw dropped. The stunningly rich colours of the blooms against the black background reminded me of still-life floral paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. I completely swooned over this new line and all of the FS exclusive hand painted artworks on each textile.

Bubble Frock in Sophie Black Lightweight Faille Cotton

These new floral Faille cottons have the flattened ribbed pattern of grosgrain and a smooth surface of Satin. I’ve never worked with Faille cotton before. My oh my, is it lush!

This fabric weighs 4.4 oz per square yard. I could tell it was going to provide the desired volume and structured effect I was after, while still being a lightweight material. I machine washed the fabric in cold water and allowed it to air dry, as I don’t plan on ever machine drying this garment. There was very little to no shrinkage after washing and the colours stayed beautifully vibrant.

Bubble Frock in Sophie Black Lightweight Faille Cotton

When choosing a pattern, I wanted something that would showcase this floral print to its fullest potential. I dreamed of a dress with loads of volume, and the Bubble Frock by Lydia Naomi was exactly what I had in mind. I started out by making a toile with some fabric from my stash. I wanted to check the fit of the pattern before cutting into my new gorgeous Faille cotton. I decided to toile the blouse version of the pattern, just to be sure no adjustments needed to be made. I knew the full length dress was my end goal, but I must say, the top version of this pattern is super adorable and would look great in this fabric as well!

There is a lot of gathering used in this pattern. I was very happy with how well the fabric gathered, and overall had zero issues when sewing the garment together!

Bubble Frock in Sophie Black Lightweight Faille Cotton

I made a size 2 in the pattern. I fully lined the dress in black quilting cotton and omitted the scalloped edge. I added side pockets, because a dress with pockets is always a bonus!!!

The pattern is drafted for a height of 5’4”. I am 5’7” so I added an extra 16.5” (43” total from top to bottom of skirt) to the original instructed midi length extension of the dress, in order to get the desired look I was after. I ended up doing a 2.5” hem to give the bottom of the dress some added structure. When cutting out my shell fabric, I wanted as much volume as possible in the skirt. Because the bottom of the skirt panels are rectangles, I extended the skirt width to the edge of the selvedge, which is 59”, and gathered as usual.

I was able to pattern match a few of the flowers on the front and back of the bodice, which is something I’ve never done before. It was very exciting to see everything match up when sewn together.

Bubble Frock in Sophie Black Lightweight Faille Cotton

Having roughly 6 yards of fabric total in this dress, (3 yards shell, 3 yards lining) it is heavier than I expected. Having grown up dancing in a kilt, I’m very used to wearing garments with a lot of weight, so this doesn’t bother me at all. I actually enjoy it! Haha! (Just something to keep in mind if you plan on making this pattern, and don’t want the added weight!)

Both the fabric and dress pattern were an absolute dream to work with. The Satin effect of this Faille cotton gives it such a luxurious touch. I can’t wait to frolic all summer long in my botanical Bubble Frock!!!

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3 Comments

Danuta Snyder

July 28, 2023 - 3:22 pm

I crave that fabric! Your dress is so beautiful. Living in Canada, have you also been surprised by the delayed duty charges? When I’ve ordered here, the extra charge arrives weeks after I’ve received my fabric. It always takes me by surprise. (One U..S. fabric company lists the value of their shipment very low, thus avoiding this unpleasant surprise.) Sometimes I hesitate to place an order unless I really covet the fabric. And that does happen!!
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Vicki Lang

July 21, 2023 - 8:59 am

What a lovely dress. The flowery fabric makes it stand out.
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- Annie Colquhoun
  
  July 21, 2023 - 10:06 am
  
  Aw thank you so much Vicki! ?
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