Myrtle does Venice

Ciao Amici! Chris and I have just returned form our honeymoon on the Venitian Riviera, it was blissful, we ate (and ate) very well, and mostly relaxed by the pool or on the beach. We did take a day trip to Venice itself, only an hour or so away from our resort. Where better to take photos of my first 100//100 finished garment? I thought the Myrtle dress by Collette Patterns would be an excellent addition to my holiday wardrobe; easy to throw on but still glamorous. Here she is.

I used a very drapey knit fabric from Goldhawk Road (I forget which shop) which I had bought with a completely different project in mind. I only had two metres of this fabric which is almost a whole metre less than the pattern calls for. Thankfully the pattern is non-directional so with a little creative cutting I managed to squeeze it out of those two metres!

I cut a size Medium as all my measurements fit into that size bracket but I think the bodice has come out a little large. There is a lot of spare fabric going on as you can see from this shot of the back, although I don't think the way I'm standing is helping with that!

If I were to make another Myrtle, I think I would cut out a Small and do an FBA as the dress does sit wide on my shoulders, so it either slips off them or I pull them in resulting in the rather low neckline you can see in this photo!

Despite these fit issues I'm very happy with this dress and have already worn it quite a few times. I was worried about inserting the elasticated waistband but the instructions were very clear and it went without a hitch! I also left out the skirt pockets in the end, they were distorting the line of the skirt so I ripped them out and closed up the side seams. I wouldn't have used them as pockets anyway!

I finished this dress on day 6 of my 100//100 challenge and it took me almost exactly 6 hours to complete (including removing the pockets), so at this point I am up to date. Hurray.

As for Venice itself, I have to say Chris and I were a little disappointed. Whilst it was nice to wonder around the back streets of Venice, getting lost and coming across many sweet court yards and almost falling in the canal at the end of a few streets, there isn't that much to see and do outside of the Piazza San Marco, which is heaving with tourists (it was the height of the holiday season to be fair) and the ques for the Basillico San Marco and the Doges Palace where miles and miles long! Not to mention, everything is ludicrously overpriced! We're hoping to go back when it might be a little quieter so we have a chance to see some of the big tourist attractions, Chris' parents visited in February and had a whale of a time!

Have you ever been to Venice? What did you think?

Catch you soon.

Alice