This dress is almost a year in the making. The pattern is self-drafted but is based off of a few different things. One is the Coastal Breeze dress by Make It Perfect patterns (made four times previously, here, here, here and here). It's also influenced by a Target maternity dress that I copied last year for the Fabric Mart Fabricista challenge (here). The skirt is a quarter circle skirt, drafted with the By Hand London circle skirt app. Phew!
As you can tell, I've been playing around with this basic dress for quite a while. The quarter circle skirt is new for this version and I. Love. It. The midi length is a new look for me and was unplanned. I was going to shorten it to knee-length but liked it as-is.
There are a few little things that need changed for the next version (lengthening the bodice and distributing the front gathers better) but I'm so very close to, dare I say it, the prefect dress pattern? Perfect for me anyway!
The fabric is a cotton/poly knit from Nature's Fabrics. I first came across it on a different website and didn't order it, even though I thought it was amazing. When it sold out, I completely regretted not buying. When it showed up at NF I knew I couldn't let it pass me by again. Aside from getting fuzzy all over the first time I washed it (waaaaaah) it's just as lovely as I thought it would be. The "waistband" is a heavy rib knit from The Fabric Fairy (navy sold out, other colors here). I've previously used cotton/spandex knits for this portion, but I'm digging the rib knit here. I did size down slightly to accommodate a stretchier fabric.
I don't think I have any other dresses with quarter circle skirts. It's just the right amount of flair without going overboard. If I ever release this as an actual pattern (!! secret dream !!) I wanted to get further away from my inspirations, which meant modifying the skirt somehow (it's a rectangle in the Coastal Breeze and a odd trapezoid in the RTW dress). I'm so glad I tried a circle skirt because it feels like the right fit for this design.
I don't think I have any other dresses with quarter circle skirts. It's just the right amount of flair without going overboard. If I ever release this as an actual pattern (!! secret dream !!) I wanted to get further away from my inspirations, which meant modifying the skirt somehow (it's a rectangle in the Coastal Breeze and a odd trapezoid in the RTW dress). I'm so glad I tried a circle skirt because it feels like the right fit for this design.
Because the gathers weren't quite right, there was some weird blousing in the front. It's mostly fixed after I tacked them down to the waistband, which you can see below.
The back neckline is finished with French binding. Looks sooooo RTW and fancy. I wrote a tutorial on this method as part of my Knit Finishes series. Way better than a full facing or a narrow hem.
This dress hugs and skims in all the right places, and it's the first thing I've put on post-baby that made me feel great. A lot of my favorite me-mades still aren't fitting right, and maybe they never will again (UGH). So for now, I'll squeeze out all the happy vibes I can from this major success.
I thought you just had a baby!!??;) You look great Beth! The midi-length is very flattering (the first dress I made post-pregnancy was midi-length and I loved it too). I might have to try a quarter circle skirt, looks like the perfect amount of fullness. I'll be checking out your binding tutorial as well!:)
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