Eve: the jury's out

So a little while ago I went to a party at one of the Sew Over It shops for the launch of their new pattern. This was a free thing you could put your name down for; I didn't get invited for being an extremely small-time blogger or anything. I went because I was promised free booze and discounts on fabric within a 20-minute walk from my house. The pattern was half price that night, so I decided to buy it and give it a try. 

What did I think? I'm not sure. 

I think a large part of the problem is that most Sew Over It patterns just aren't my style anymore. This is pretty, but I'm not really aiming for "pretty". Trying to find a fabric that was a) appropriate for the pattern, b) summery and c) not excruciatingly girly was quite a challenge, but the good people at Rolls and Rems with their excellent colour sense came through for me. I feel like this fabric would be an amazing summer shirtdress, and someone who likes shirtdresses should get on that. 

The dress has flutter sleeves, a gathered yoke for bust shaping, and a dipped hem at the back. There's also another version with long fitted sleeves and a straight hem. I think the hem is cute, the gathers are nice but maybe not for a bust as big as mine, and the sleeves suck. Not because of the drafting or anything, I just don't like them. Extra fabric in the armpit area isn't my bag. 

The biggest problem I have with my dress is that the neckline is hugely gapey. I used stay tape on it so it hasn't stretched, there's just too much of it. I probably should have done an FBA and gone down a couple of sizes, but I... didn't. So there's that. For this to be wearable I'm going to need to alter it; whether I do that with elastic or tucks I haven't decided yet. 

On the plus side, this will be a really useful dress in the summer if I can sort the neckline out. It's super light and breathable so it'll be comfortable if it gets really hot here (which does occasionally happen). So I will wear it. I also like it a lot more having seen photos of it than I did when I was looking at it in the mirror. I just can't get over the thought that it's a less interesting version of the Victory Patterns Trina, with the wrap and the yoke and the sleeve volume. 

So, a mixed bag, you might say. If this kind of thing is your style it's a nice pattern, though there is no avoiding the FBA if you're curvy. I will almost certainly not make another, but I will probably get some wear out of this one.

Next up: the Named Anneli dress, which I have THOUGHTS on...