Today, I'm excited to share another recent make! I've had this sweet, and pretty dress in my mind for a couple of years now and it was great to finally bring it into being. I love the classic button front design, the v-neckline and swishy gathered skirt. This dress is the perfect combo of comfort and dressy. Nothing is restricting and the style is just really lovely. Read on for all the details.
The pattern for this dress is the Darling Ranges pattern by Megan Nielsen. I first used this pattern back in 2017 (blogged here). That first dress is still one of my favorites and I often get compliments on it. I've been wanting to make another one ever since. When I bought the pattern, the sizing was in S/M/L format and I made a size M which is equivalent to the size 12. The pattern has since been updated with sizes 0-20 and curvy sizes 14-30, up to a 56" bust and 58" hip measurement. I shortened the darts by 2" and cut the skirt as long as possible, given my fabric constraints. For reference, my measurements are roughly bust 39”, waist 29”, hips 39.5” and height 5’11”.
This deliciously soft fabric was a gift from iseefabric back at the very beginning of 2020, (pre-pandemic!). They sent me this fabric and a really lovely mustard colored knit fabric seen in this Ali Sweatshirt hack. They no longer stock this fabric but they have lots of other beautiful, sustainable fabrics. I really love the colors that they stock. So gorgeous!
I got 2 yards of this silky rayon fabric and ever since it arrived, I've been imagining it as a Darling Ranges dress. I finally started cutting it out a month or so ago and after cutting everything, except for the skirt front and back, I realized that I did not have enough fabric! Whoops! I don't know why I didn't check that beforehand but thankfully I was able to make it work. Phew!
In the photo above, I’m showing off the page in my printable planner for this project and the gorgeous vintage shell buttons that I selected for the dress. I love how worn the buttons are and that they aren’t exactly perfect. I also like how they contrast with the fabric. It really shows off the button band. If you need help sewing buttonholes and buttons, make sure to check out this video tutorial.
If you want to see a how I fill out a project page in my planner, check out this reel on Instagram. And, if you’re interested in putting together your own planner. I have two designs for a printable pdf planner in the shop. You can check them out here.
So, instead of two pieces for the front and one for the back, I cut one piece of fabric, the full width of the fabric and used it as the front and back piece. It's less full than the original design but I think it works fine. I also had to sacrifice the side seams and in seam pockets which I was really disappointed about. But, I've worn this dress a couple of times, and I don't really miss the pockets that much.
The only thing that I'm disappointed with in this make is that the neckline has slightly stretched out. I did not have that problem the first time I made the dress but that time I used a very stable medium weight cotton. In retrospect, I would have stay stitched and possibly add some interfacing along the seam allowance to help stabilize the fabric. I think a facing finish instead of the bias binding finish may also create a more stable, less stretched out result.
It was really fun to sew something just for fun and it felt good to use this fabric in the way that I had imagined using it. I'm currently working on getting a new pattern ready to release at the end of the month but I'm still thinking about some things that I could sew just for fun. I even made a list of things for my Summer Capsule Wardrobe two months ago now. I've now made two summer dresses. So, I just need to decide what I want to make next. Maybe the elastic waist pants? I'm going to let my sewing whims guide me for the next make because when it's just for fun, I really want it to feel easy, joyful and in the flow. Happy sewing!
