{"id":77302,"date":"2021-06-23T06:33:49","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T10:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/?p=77302"},"modified":"2021-06-22T14:44:54","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T18:44:54","slug":"aimees-marais-dress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2021\/06\/aimees-marais-dress.html","title":{"rendered":"aimee&#8217;s marais dress"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/daisyeyes\/\">Aimee<\/a> sure has been busy sewing our new spring patterns! She was <a href=\"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2021\/06\/aimees-gingham-verdun-woven-t-shirt.html\">on the blog<\/a> last week with her lovely <a href=\"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/shop\/verdun-woven-t-shirt-sewing-pattern.html#tab-details\">Verdun Woven T-Shirt<\/a>, and this week she&#8217;s back with another brand-new make.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/shop\/marais-knit-dress-top-sewing-pattern.html\">Marais Knit Dress + Top<\/a>, on first glance, is not the typical pattern I would choose. I\u2019m not a huge fan of the v-neck shape on myself, but I\u2019m trying to branch out as a seamstress, so I thought I would be brave and give this pattern a try.<a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-3.jpg\"><br \/>\n<\/a><br \/>\nI loved the look of all the seam lines and how they came together. I knew I would learn something new from how it is constructed. The Marais did not disappoint.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-77331 size-large\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-4-760x512.jpg\" alt=\"DIY knit v-neck summer dress.\" width=\"760\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-4-760x512.jpg 760w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-4-500x337.jpg 500w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-4-768x517.jpg 768w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-4-1199x649.jpg 1199w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I have narrow shoulders and a smaller bust, which can sometimes make fitting sleeveless garments a little tricky. I often end up with a gap under my armpits where the bust just doesn&#8217;t fit right. Or the shoulder straps end up too long, causing the neckline to be much lower than I&#8217;d prefer.<\/p>\n<p>I had some junky knit in my stash I decided to use as a \u201cmuslin\u201d version for the shirt. The neckline facings are held under at the shoulders by the armhole facings and, because of the fabric, I had a little trouble\u00a0getting all the layers to lay down cleanly in this knit. For my mock-up version (not pictured) I machine-stitched the facings down with the edge stitch as suggested in the pattern.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-77329 size-large\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-2-760x1013.jpg\" alt=\"DIY knit v-neck summer dress.\" width=\"760\" height=\"1013\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-2-760x1013.jpg 760w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-2-500x667.jpg 500w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-2-768x1024.jpg 768w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-2-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-2-1200x649.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I am 5\u20196\u201d and I sewed up a size medium with the A\/B cup size. The shirt ended up being a little shorter than I prefer, but I do like the look of the shirt and it fit very well through my shoulders and bust. I had a little bit of gaping under the arms, but the strap length was spot on. I think the gaping I ended up with had more to do with the knit I used than with the pattern, because I did not have any gaping in my final version.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Aimee-marais-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-77328 size-large\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Aimee-marais-1-760x1013.jpg\" alt=\"DIY knit v-neck summer dress.\" width=\"760\" height=\"1013\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Aimee-marais-1-760x1013.jpg 760w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Aimee-marais-1-500x667.jpg 500w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Aimee-marais-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Aimee-marais-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Aimee-marais-1-1200x649.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>For my final version, I used a higher-end knit yardage that I had been hanging onto for a while. I had just enough to make the dress version.<\/p>\n<p>Going from sewing the thinner and junkier knit to this higher-end knit made a massive difference in the construction. All the seams came together so smoothly and the drape of the dress as a whole was so different.<\/p>\n<p>I never make muslin versions of garments (shameful I know). I usually just suffer and spend lots of time with my seam ripper, but this time around I was so glad that I had taken the time to make a mock-up version. Knowing ahead of time what I was doing, I was able to line up the seams more cleanly and the facings went in much more neatly. For the dress version I decided to hand-stitch the armhole facings down. I wanted a cleaner look for the top without that extra edge stitch showing around the shoulders.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-77330 size-large\" src=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-3-760x1013.jpg\" alt=\"DIY knit v-neck summer dress.\" width=\"760\" height=\"1013\" srcset=\"\/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-3-760x1013.jpg 760w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-3-500x667.jpg 500w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-3-768x1024.jpg 768w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-3-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, \/\/o.osimg.net\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-3-1200x649.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In all honestly, I\u2019m not sure this dress is the most flattering on my body shape, and the pattern on the knit sort of screams \u201cnightgown\u201d more than day dress. That said, the dress fits beautifully from the shoulders to the bust and down through the hips and it is incredibly comfortable. It is always such a gift to stitch up a pattern and have it fit just right!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aimee sure has been busy sewing up the new spring patterns. She&#8217;s back on the blog today with her brand-new Marais Knit Dress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6023,"featured_media":77332,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20687],"tags":[20783,20843],"class_list":["post-77302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-advisors-circle","tag-marais"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/aimee-marais-hero.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5jZS5-k6O","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":76918,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2021\/05\/introducing-the-marais-knit-dress-top.html","url_meta":{"origin":77302,"position":0},"title":"introducing the marais knit dress + top","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"May 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Introducing the first of our three new patterns for spring 2021. This is the Marais Knit Dress + Top.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/marais-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":77080,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2021\/05\/inspiration-for-the-marais-knit-dress-top-pattern.html","url_meta":{"origin":77302,"position":1},"title":"inspiration for the marais knit dress + top pattern","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"May 13, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Liesl is here with some fabric and styling ideas for making the Marais Knit Dress + Top look both casual and more stylish.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/marais-inspiration-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":77109,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2021\/05\/marais-knit-dress-top-tester-round-up.html","url_meta":{"origin":77302,"position":2},"title":"marais knit dress + top tester round-up","author":"Masha Richart","date":"May 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Marais Knit Dress + Top is sure to be a summer favorite. See what our testers made of it and get inspired to sew up your own!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/marais-tester-hero.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":77452,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2021\/07\/liesls-woven-bias-cut-marais-dress.html","url_meta":{"origin":77302,"position":3},"title":"liesl&#8217;s woven bias-cut marais dress","author":"Liesl Gibson","date":"July 26, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"We promised to show you the Marais Dress sewn in a bias-cut woven fabric. Here is it, with advice on trying this yourself.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/woven-marais-dress-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":77041,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2021\/05\/the-advisors-circle-sews-marais.html","url_meta":{"origin":77302,"position":4},"title":"the advisors circle sews marais","author":"Masha Richart","date":"May 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Marais Knit Dress + Top is your go-to pattern for everything from a pajama top to a slinky dress. Check out what our Advisors Circle did with it, and get ready to be inspired!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/marais-hero.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":77383,"url":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2021\/07\/mashas-make-it-work-marais.html","url_meta":{"origin":77302,"position":5},"title":"masha&#8217;s make-it-work marais","author":"Masha Richart","date":"July 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Masha made a few mistakes while sewing the Marais Knit Top, but she made it work and ended up with really cute summer wardrobe piece.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;general post&quot;","block_context":{"text":"general post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/list\/general"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oliverands.com\/community\/content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/mashamaraissocial-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6023"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77302"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77334,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77302\/revisions\/77334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}