Three Metres of Border Print and a Wedding in Three Weeks

Step 1 - pre-shrink first. Cotton that 'may shrink up to 4%' must be washed and dried the way the finished dress will be washed before it is cut. Usable length = 3,00 m × 0,96 = 2,88 m. Skipping this step risks a dress that is too short after its first wash, which is exactly the kind of error that cannot be undone.

Step 2 - add the directional layout allowance. All pattern pieces must run the same way because the print has a one-way border, so pieces cannot be turned or staggered to save space as they could on a plain fabric. Tangi also needs the border to sit level at the hem, which means matching the motif. Allow roughly 0,15 m extra: 2,75 + 0,15 = 2,90 m.

Step 3 - compare. She has 2,88 m and needs about 2,90 m, so she is short by roughly 2 cm before any matching allowance - not enough.

Alternatives:

1. Buy a further 0,50 m, asking the shop to cut from the same dye lot, or ask whether an offcut from the same bolt is available.
2. Shorten the dress by 5 cm at the lengthen/shorten line and use the freed fabric for facings and the hem; or cut the back bodice on a centre seam; or use a plain contrast fabric for the hem facing and the neckline binding.

She should also allow for a slight loss from truing up the cut edges, so buying extra is the safer route if the money can be found.

Compare each measurement with the size 12 draft:

• Bust: 92 − 88 = +4 cm
• Waist: 78 − 72 = +6 cm
• Hip: 102 − 96 = +6 cm
• Height: 1,62 m against a 1,68 m draft = 6 cm shorter

Bodice: a 4 cm bust increase is best handled by a full bust adjustment - cutting along the bust dart lines and spreading the bodice front - rather than simply widening the side seams, which would make the armhole and the shoulder too big. Then add the remaining waist ease at the side seams.

Waist and skirt: the 6 cm extra is 1,5 cm at each of four seam positions (two side seams, and the darts or princess seams). Spread the skirt pattern at the hip line so the flare is not lost.

Length: shorten 6 cm at the printed lengthen/shorten line just above the knee, never at the hem, so the hem curve and the border placement stay correct. Check the finished length against the shoe she will wear.

Fitting without a toile: pin the cut pieces on her over a fitted T-shirt with a friend helping, and check the bust, waist and armhole before sewing. Sew the side seams with a long basting stitch, try the dress on inside out, adjust, then stitch permanently.

Seam finishes. With only straight stitch and zigzag, the neatest option for a light cotton print is the French seam on straight seams such as the side seams and the skirt: it encloses the raw edges completely, looks clean inside, and costs nothing. Where a French seam is impractical (curved armholes, the waist seam, the zip opening), stitch the seam, press it open, and zigzag each raw edge separately, trimming loose threads first. Staystitch the neckline before any handling so it does not stretch, and press every seam as it is sewn - pressing is what makes home-sewn clothes look shop-bought.

Washing. The print may bleed, so wash the dress separately in cool or lukewarm water with a mild detergent for the first few washes, and never leave it soaking. Turn it inside out and close the zip to protect the print and the seams. Rinse well, because trapped detergent dulls colour and can irritate skin. Dry in the shade, on a hanger, because strong Namibian sun fades printed cotton quickly; dry flat if the fabric is heavy when wet.

Ironing. Iron on the reverse while slightly damp, with a warm (not hot) setting, and press the facings and hem back into shape. Check the iron setting on a scrap of the same fabric first, since unknown fibre content plus a hot iron is a common way to leave a shine or a scorch mark.