Well it may be covered in tigers and its a killer of a dress but this one is no Carole!
Enter the dress by Named Patterns - called Reeta
The pattern has obviously been around a while but it has taken me until now to try it out. Why did I wait?!
The dress is supposed to be a loose fit midi-dress however I didn't have enough fabric for the full length so it's a little shorter than intended.
This was a lovely slow sew for me and just what my brain needed. I made it over the course of a few weeks, breaking the tasks down into little easy to deal with sections.
Size: I went for a size 16/18 and that worked out quite nicely. Plenty of room at the waist for the drawstring to cinch in and create some shape.
Fabric: This absolutely stunning tiger fabric is an ex-designer crepe from Fabric Godmother picked up last year. I don't think they have it anymore however they do now have their own blue tiger crepe available.
Features: The trickiest part of the make was the lapel collar and yoke construction however with a bit of concentration and a careful look at the diagrams it was doable. I had seen a few people say the collar piece was too small however I managed to make it fit - it did need cut notches and a bit of stretching though to get the curve to fit the markings.
The dress is cinched in the middle with a hidden wait casing sewn to the inside of the dress. The pattern has you do button holes for the drawstring however a friend recommended a bit of hardware so out came the Prym pliers!
I didn't have ribbon for the casing so used a bit of bias binding and that did the job nicely. The cuffs are wide, turned up and stitched down and they feel quite luxurious for that.
Now let's just take a moment to appreciate these EPIC BUTTONS! My sister is a very talented lady and has started a little business making handmade buttons. These are from her 'Baskin Buttons' collection. If you want to see more have a look at @turtlebirduk - and feel free to DM her for any requests!
Results: LOVE.
I would love to make this dress again, with sufficient fabric to make a midi length! Clyde also approves as he shot over to see what all the fuss was in the garden:
Wishing you all well x
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