Sew DIY Eva Crop and Sundress

July landed me solidly in two different pattern tests at the same time. The first was the Madison Blouse (not blogged yet, I want to make it again from the final pattern), and the second was the Eva from Sew DIY Patterns. All versions of Eva have a super cool lace up back that I love!

Eva can be a crop top, a top with a peplum, or a dress with a skirt and ruffle. Bust sizing is from 30.5"-60.5", with 3 cup options. My bust is 33" and I made a size 6 in an A/B cup. I used a double border rayon challis from LA Finch Fabrics.

Eva is interesting because there are only two pattern pieces, and everything else is a rectangle. There is a big ole chart that gives the dimensions of the back pieces, the skirt, the peplum, etc. There is also a page to print to fill in the dimensions for your size. These pages are clearly marked in the pattern with a big circle that says "print this page!". I loved it, I thought the pattern was well-organized.

I highly recommend making a muslin of the bodice. The pattern directions walk you through the process way more explicitly than I've seen other patterns do. Eva does have flexibility in the fit because of the back. The back has two side panels with an adjustable middle panel. The middle panel has elastic in the top, and a lace-up tie. 

The pattern directions are super clear about when to stop and have a fit check. You'll have plenty of opportunities to check the strap length, and to adjust the back panel elastic. The back panel can be tricky since it's, well, on your back, so if you have someone else to help that's a plus. I did it alone though!

All the work for this pattern is in the bodice. It's completely finished (except the hem) and then you can decide whether you want it to be a crop top, to have a peplum, a skirt, a skirt+ruffle...really you've got lots of options. Again, these pieces are just rectangles. IMPORTANT to note however; the pattern is drafted for a height of 5'10". This is certainly taller than average, and it's 6" taller than me. I had a chat with the designer (her name is also Beth) during testing about how to adjust the pattern for much shorter heights. I haven't seen a final draft of the pattern so I'm not sure if any of my feedback made it into the directions.

I wanted to use the border for my ruffle, so I ended up removing 5" from the suggested cut height to accommodate. The skirt portion I shortened by 1". I did not change the bodice length because I have a long torso. The waist seam hits at my natural waist, perhaps just a touch below due to the weight of the skirt pulling it down. If you have an average or short torso you'll need to adjust.

This is the perfect sort of dress to throw on and eat tacos. Pull your ties tight in the back on your way out, then eat a ton of food and let them out again. I am wearing mine here with a strapless bra. I found that the straps had a tendency to move around (due to tightening and loosening the tie) and my bra straps were always showing somewhere.

Thanks to Beth at Sew DIY for choosing me for her test, and for compensating her testers. I was not asked to promote the pattern in any way and all opinions are my own!