Amelia Dress by Untitled Thoughts

What a labor of love for this dress!!! I absolutely love love how it turned out! I cannot wait to wear this dress all summer! I just can’t get over how unique and versatile it is!

I will briefly discuss:

-Fabric choice

-Pattern layout

-Modifications to pattern pieces

-Pattern construction

-Pattern fit

-Styling your garment

Fabric Choice:

I used a very inexpensive ($4/yard) yellow polyester from Sewing Studio that had a beautiful drape but was a little bit sheer! I probably should have lined the skirt because of this!!!! However, it ended up being ok. The fabric itself is prone to fraying a bit and was a little difficult to work with. It also did not press very well at all. I still love the finished product though!

The buttons I used were from Whim Wham Buttons and they are amazingly homemade and hand-painted! Just beautiful buttons and I can’t believe how they look on my dress!!!

Pattern layout:

Pattern layout was rather easy! You just need to gather several substrates such as lining, the main fabric, and interfacing!! I chose the open back version but there is a bra-friendly version as well which I will make next time! The layout is very clear and easy to follow regardless of the version you use! They are both easy!

Modifications to the pattern pieces:

I went ahead and did a small bust adjustment. I started with the size 3 which has a measurement of a 35 for the bust and that is slightly large for me, but I took off about 1.5 inches total with my adjustment and that would make the bust about a 33.5 (my size) while still fitting me in the shoulders and under the arms! This size was also best for my waist and hip measurements as well! I used a super helpful video by Melly Sews for the transformation.

After I made this adjustment, I did not true the seams. This is to ensure that you haven't removed any areas that are meant to attach to the waistband. You only want to adjust inside the dart and not outside of it! Otherwise, it won't fit your waistband! Here is a helpful video about truing seams by Made to Sew!

Pattern construction:

For the most part, this went rather smoothly! I did have a few hiccups along the way as part of the pattern testing process, but all of those have been fixed and now the pattern is super clear! I think that if you follow this pattern step by step carefully, along with the beautiful encouragements that Brittani from Untitled Thoughts puts in there, you will find that the pattern helps you create a beautiful, well-made, timeless garment. The process may be a bit slow, but worth it!

In retrospect, I should have done a narrow rolled hem for all the hems as the fabric did not want to do a traditional hem. Its a little wonky and twisted but oh well! Its not very noticeable! I also feel as though you should let the dress hang for a few days as several of the skirt pattern pieces are cut on the bias and they may stretch in uneven ways! I was impatient and hemmed the dress. If it turns out very strange after a few days I will cut off the hem and re-hem it! No problem!

Pattern fit:

Overall my pattern fit went well. Other than the problem I had fitting the waistband to the bodice (my fault for not truing the seams), the rest of the pattern construction went rather smoothly. I didn’t see any problems with the rest of the fit! The only really fitted part was the waistband for me and the shoulders and arms. If you are doubting whether or not you should size up for these areas, I would probably do it just in case.

Styling:

This is my favorite part! This dress reminds me of so many dresses I have seen over the past few months and wanted to make so many times! I am so glad her pattern finally came along! I can’t wait to style this with flowers in my hair, with a straw hat, with flats, with heels! The list goes on!!! I can even change the buttons one day if I want it to have a different look!

Dress Pattern: Amelie Dress by Untitled Thoughts

Fabric: Polyester from The Sewing Studio

Buttons: Whimwhambuttons

Rainboots and Hat: Target