April Henry

If you have a copy of the Building Block Dress book I explain how to draft an A-line from the bodice. You could certainly do something like that for this style if you’re certain you need extra room through the hips. Otherwise I’d suggest gently blending between sizes starting someplace between the bust and waist so you can get an easy curve. I…[Read more]

Anna, if you post in the Facebook group and on the forum will you do everyone a favor and copy the responses from one place to the other so we’re not replying twice? I see that you had a lot of replies in Facebook, and it would be nice to have them here as well so the question isn’t left hanging. Thanks.

Anna, if you post in the Facebook group and on the forum will you do everyone a favor and copy the responses from one place to the other so we’re not replying twice? Thanks.

Sure, provided that the two fabric work together. I’d be concerned that it would add weight to this top, and I’d probably be personally more inclined to wear a camisole under it than add a lining, but that’s probably a personal preference. Let us know how it turns out!

Sure, provided that the two fabric work together. I’d be concerned that they’d add weight to this top, and I’d probably be personally more inclined to wear a camisole under it than add a lining, but that’s probably a personal preference. Let us know how it turns out!

As I said in the Facebook group, I haven’t tried that pattern in a knit. I think it would probably work, but you would probably want a stable knit. I really like linen jersey, but it does tend to be quite sheer. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!

Did you also see that someone else said she has done it and it worked?

Absolutely! I adore double gauze. Be aware that it can ravel quite a bit, so take care when handling your cut fabric. The finished result is so, so lovely. I hope you have fun with it!

That’s always a good idea! I have some double gauze that I just can’t quite bring myself to cut into yet. It was expensive and I love it so much, I want to be absolute positive that I’m ready to use it.

Hi @littletrish, the placket for the center-front of the shirt is the same for all sizes, so it’s proportionally longer for the smaller sizes than the larger. Is that where you’re having trouble?

Yes, in fact sometimes I finish the lining seam allowances too. It depends on the fabric and how much I’m worried about ravelling. I hope that helps!

Ava, you can choose whether to finish them. I sometimes do, even on a lined dress, but it’s not absolutely necessary unless you have a fabric that ravels a lot. When a lining is open at the bottom, like on dresses, sometimes it’s still a good idea to finish the seam allowances. But it’s really a judgement call on your part.

I think both of them would work in lightweight denim! It’s really going to be a matter of which one you prefer. When I first designed the Tea Party Sundress for S she wore it layered in the winter as well. Can’t wait to see how it turns out for you!

Like other fibers, Tencel comes in a lot of different weights, so it’s difficult to say without seeing the fabric itself. If it feels heavier than a typical heavy shirt fabric it might be too much. But you can certainly make shirts from canvas and flannel, so you’ll probably have to make a judgement call on this one. Maybe look at other shirts and…[Read more]

I haven’t tried adding a lining to this pattern, buy maybe someone else will chime in who has?

I haven’t tried adding a lining, buy maybe someone else will chime in who has?

Sorry for the silence, @esseesee! We’ve been on vacation. Because of the pleats, this pattern is quite forgiving in terms of measurements. It’s difficult to give a hip measurement as a result of the built-in ease. If you find that the side seam buckles you might want to draw a wider hip curve, but that would be the only necessary change, really.…[Read more]

@cat75, as you suspected, the center pleat is the problem. It isn’t graded correctly, and I’m so sorry about that! I’m working on a solution to the problem, but in the meantime, if you want to restitch the pleat to be 2″ from the rise seam I think that should solve the problem. Will you report back to me and let me know if that works? I’m still…[Read more]

I think I see the problem. I’ll be back asap, ok? I’m just checking and double-checking…

Hmmm. What size are you making, @cat75? I’ll take a look at the pattern and see if I can figure out what’s going wrong.

Can you explain where you’re not clear so I can help? The skirt gets attached at step 4 on page 144, and then the side seams are sewn up after. But I’m actually wondering if you’d benefit from the Fairy Tale Dress pattern, since it includes a tulle layer as well. It might have everything you’re looking for, and in great detail?