Tag Archives: floral

Melrose Dress


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Itch to Stitch released their latest pattern the Melrose Dress.  It’s on sale this week for the launch!  This is a versatile spring/summer pattern that includes the dress that I made plus a tunic and cropped top. 

My dress is sewn in a viscose poplin that I picked up from Blackbird Fabrics last year.  This was very nice to work with and will feel great as a summer dress.

The trickiest part of this dress is probably the neckline binding but I got mine to lay perfectly flat in one go!  I highly recommend getting  some Washaway Wonder tape for making this pattern. It will come in super hand for the neckband, cuffs, and waistband casing.

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Updated Fringe Blouse


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Chalk and Notch released an updated version of their popular Fringe Dress & Blouse and I was excited to pattern test it! This new version extends the size range to 24 and add A/B and C/D cup options! The pattern is on sale for $11.50 for the relaunch.

Since it’s a loose fitting design it’s also pretty forgiving for even larger busted ladies. I make a G/H in Cashmerette but the C/D worked fine for me.

My blouse was sewn using a rayon crepe fabric I bought at Joann. This is definitely a fiddly fabric to cut, but the crepe texture is also very forgiving.

I did not include the belt ties and only made a half hearted effort at pattern matching but I’m loving this a spring blouse. One thing to note is that despite staystitching, my neckline did stretch out, which resulted in a low v-neck. To make this top work appropriate I have to wear a cami under it.

It’s very nice to see Chalk & Notch extending their sizes. I hope they do the Joy Jacket next as I already own it and I don’t want to have to do an FBA. 🙂

Springfield Tank


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Cashmerette has a new pattern out – the Springfield Top. It’s a woven tank pattern with options for a closer fitting princess seamed back or a looser back version.  I’ve been wanting some sleeveless tops to wear to work so I bought it as soon as I got the email.  This pattern got printed and assembled right away – I love trimless patterns! Then I just had to find some fabric.

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This pattern requires 2 yards + of fabric if you’re using 44″. That seems like a lot for a tank top.  Most of my stashed fabrics for tops are 1.5 yards and the rest are 3 yards for dresses. I ended up biting the bullet and pulling this Moda lawn I had purchased in January 2015. I figured if I was really going to make a dress out of it I would have done it by now!

I opted not to cut the bias binding for the neckline and armholes and use premade bias tape. Luckily earlier that day I had scored a massive bag of bias tape and seam binding at an estate sale for $4.  By not using my fabric for the bias tape, I managed to get this cut out of around 1.5 yards of fabric! So there is hope for using this for some of my stashed top fabrics.

I opted for the looser version and it went together very quickly.  I had some issues with my neckline sticking out but judicious ironing and clapper application got it to settle down. The only issue I had with the pattern is some gaping in the back neckline. I asked Jenny if this was intentional since I noticed the same thing in some of her own Springfield photos. She replied back that this pattern includes a forward shoulder adjustment and if you didn’t need it then your back might gape. Bingo!  If I slouch my shoulders forward then it sits flat. So I just need to remember to make this adjustment to the pattern. Who knew having good posture would cause such problems! 🙂

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My gripe is that $14 seems a little pricey for such a basic digital pattern. The version I made was literally 3 pattern pieces and could have been 2.  I get that Big 4 companies charge the same for every pattern, but that doesn’t matter when I can get them for $2. I would really like to see independent pattern makers adjust their pricing models to reflect the effort that went into creating a pattern.

Burda 7494 Dress


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I’ve had Burda 7494 in my stash for years.  I’ve always loved this pattern with the slight cap sleeve and the peter pan collar. The problem was that it only went up to a Size 20 and I was sewing a larger size at the time. Then I took the Palmer/Pletsch Fitting class at Fabric Depot and I learned that I was a Size 18 (with an FBA). Rejoice!

When my friend Alexis asked me to be the godmother to her daughter, I volunteered to sew a baptism gown (post on that soon!). So of course I also needed to make myself a new dress! I was so excited to finally use this pattern.

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SIZING

This pattern is offered in sizes 8-20.  I used size 18.

ADJUSTMENTS

The primary adjustment I did was a 2.5″ FBA to the princess seams in the front. I also did a 3/4″ broad back adjustment.  I also added width to the skirt to match the width of the adjusted bodice.  I also followed Julia Bobbines’ advice and swapped out the pleated skirt back pieces for the darted skirt lining.

I had purchased some luscious bemberg lining but since the dress fabric was stretch and the lining was not, I chose  to omit it.  I also chose not to use the peter pan collar. When I tried the dress on with the collar, it just looked a little too sweet for me.

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FABRIC & FINISHES

I had a difficult time finding the right fabric for this dress, since I was looking for a stretch floral print.  I ended up picking up this floral stretch twill from Fabric Depot.  Up close the dark blue almost looks like denim.  I liked using a heavier fabric because it allowed me to omit the skirt lining. I also like that it helps smooth out some lumps and bumps that you get when wearing such a fitted style.

I used bias tape to bind the neck and armholes.  All seams were finished with the serger.

STYLE

I think this dress is pretty versatile thanks to the fabric. With heels and jewelry it looks pretty fancy. Not quite cocktail dress but I’d definitely wear it to a daytime wedding.  However with a cardigan and flats it’s also suitable for work or more casual wear.  For the baptism I mixed it up a bit and wore a cardigan and heels. 🙂

WHAT I LOVE:

  • The bodice is very flattering
  • The slight cap sleeves
  • The tapered skirt

WHAT I DON’T LOVE:

  • The pleating in the front is not the most flattering. It accentuates my tummy.
  • The pleating also sticks out a little which makes it look like there should be pockets there. This would actually be okay with me if there were pockets, because I love pockets!

WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN?

Yes. I think this dress is super cute and I kind of want one just like the pattern photo! It’s a black dress with small white polka dots and I adore polka dots!!