Eek! So happy with this new dress and finishing one of my goals for Me Made May this year. I cut the pieces for this dress out probably 2 weeks ago and then just sat with it, unsewn, until Monday when I needed a refresh in my office space. Cleaning everything up and putting away the remnants of other projects helped with my motivation and I finished it up last night. It’s amazing what a little refresh of your physical space will do for your mental space to be able to be productive.
I mentioned in my first post for my sewing goals for May that I had made a Wren dress already but hadn’t blogged it because I needed to make some modifications to be happy with it. This one went much better, mostly because I had made it once already and also because of the fabric. This is an organic cotton knit from Birch Organics that I purchased at Freeman’s Creative a few months ago and it is just really high quality. It feels soft but not too buttery, so I know it will hold up over time, and is really light and nice.
The only thing I didn’t enjoy about this project was the finishing on the sleeves and collar with the twin needle. I don’t have a separate bobbin holder for a second thread on my top stitching so my thread kept getting tangled, and tightening and breaking. I do like the finished look of a twin needle, so for the future I think I am going to either look into options for a second holder for that thread, or ways to thread the twin needle to prevent tangles.
This is the view B, and the only modifications that I made were to lengthen the sleeve by about 2.5-3” to make it a mid-length sleeve instead of a short sleeve, and to remove about an inch from the back bodice so that it hit my back at the same angle as the front of the dress. As written, it was hitting lower on my back and I didn’t love it.
I really enjoyed this pattern and can see myself making my version of a little black dress in the future. I may also consider raising the back neckline for a winter version as well, as it kind of has a scoop effect to it as written.
All in all, highly recommend this pattern and happy to have it in my wardrobe. I think it will be a versatile piece for dressier evenings, having friends over (someday) and even some outdoor events this summer (Lord willing). Until then, its a super fancy house dress and that’s just fine.