terrace dress in rayon

We are delighted to welcome Meredith back to the blog. You’ve seen her around here several times including her favorite Oliver + S pattern and her pleated Fairy Tale bodice tutorial. She is a member of the Liesl + Co. Advisors Circle and she’s going to share her most recent make. Take it away Meredith!

When Liesl asked for volunteers to make the Terrace Dress, I was the girl jumping up and down swinging my hands in the air, saying “Pick me, pick me!” The simplicity of the silhouette really spoke to me, and I was excited to make it my own. Immediately, I envisioned in in a Rifle Paper Co. rayon because if its part of my wardrobe it needs to be floral and also because I felt like the dress would be so lovely in a flowy fabric.

First I lengthened the dress to a maxi, and I decided to nix the back seam. I just didn’t want a break in the fabric, so I took out the seam allowance and cut on the fold. Since the dress doesn’t have any closures to deal with, this was all I needed to do. I didn’t even need to add a side slit at the hem as the fit at the bottom is generous and allows plenty of room for walking naturally.

I love it so much! If you’ve made any pattern written by Liesl, you know how easy they are to follow. Her patterns never cause me to pause and wonder what on earth she’s talking about which I appreciate. This one is no exception, and if you are in the market for a quick-to-sew, wear-all-summer-long dress, the Terrace Dress is exactly what you need. Its like the yoga pants of dresses, only it’s always acceptable to wear in public.

You can see from her examples and mine how just changing the fabric can make the whole appearance of the dress so different. Using something like a cotton lawn or linen will give the dress more structure, as opposed to the rayon I used. You could certainly use this same pattern to make several dresses and no one would be the wiser!

The Terrace Dress does come with a couple different belt options, but I chose to use a leather belt to cinch the waist instead. I like the contrast that’s created in an outfit when using a leather belt to break up a busy print or a solid fabric. This fits with my personal style, and I think that’s so much of the beauty of making your own clothes. The whole point is to make what works for you, and simple patterns like this make that so doable.

I love that the dress comes with pockets. Every outfit needs pockets, and its lovely when patterns include them so I don’t have to remind myself to make my own before I get started.

You can see that I chose the sleeved version of the dress. If you are fearful of sleeves, this pattern is a no brainer. The shoulders are dropped, so there’s nearly no curve to the seam, making it so easy to assemble them. The only thing I would bring your attention to is to not stretch the sleeve at all when sewing so that the fabric will lay perfectly straight when sewn. If you sew regular sleeves as often as I do, it may be second nature to allow some ease, and here you just don’t need to do that.

I’m thrilled with my dress! Its the perfect garment to welcome in this late spring and it’ll carry me through all year long. I’ll pair it with a garment or blazer on chilly days and leave it to stand on its own in warmer weather. I’m excited to make more. Thank you, Liesl for the chance to add this piece to my wardrobe!