I’ve made the dress of my dreams! I have been dying to trying my newest pattern The Jessica Slip Dress in a stretch fabric and I’m so glad I did! If you’re looking for the perfect fitted evening dress, prom dress, going out dress or glam holiday dress then this blog post is for you!
The Pattern
To create the look I was envisioning I knew The Jessica Slip Dress would be perfect as a base which I could make some minor adjustments to create the ultimate evening dress. The Jessica Slip Dress pattern runs in sizes UK 6-32 and features a cowl neck detail, thin straps and a back waist tie to create a fitted look.
Choosing the fabric
So the pattern works as is with woven fabrics, but as I wanted to push the limits of this pattern I decided to use a stretchy knit fabric. I chose this gorgeous Lurex Metallic Knit Fabric by Minerva in the shade Mint and just adore how it looks and feels. It’s just the right amount of sparkle in person and feels so soft and buttery against the skin. I can’t recommend this fabric enough and found it sews beautifully. I was gifted 2.5 metres of fabric to make this and think this is a good amount to buy for a floor length dress.
Pattern Adjustments
See the illustration above for a breakdown of the adjustments I made to this pattern but they’re very easy and quick to do. To start with, I didn’t use the waist ties when sewing this dress so no need to cut them out, I found the overall vibe of this specific dress looks sleeker without them.
I then added 21” to the length of the dress at the front and back pieces. You can simply add this to your pattern at the hem by drawing a straight line down or draw the extra length onto the fabric when it’s pinned. I then marked a notch 28” down from the end of the armhole to determine where I wanted the side slit to start.
I removed 1” from the shoulder strap length because if you’re using stretchy fabric it will stretch over your shoulder and you don’t want as much in length. Finally, I made the dress as is and pinned the excess at the side seams, cut away the amount and sewed the side seam again. The exact adjustments to the side seam were removing 1.2” from the start of the armhole which tapered down to 0.7” at the natural waist (roughly 5” below the start of the armhole) and then into the side seam. You can make these adjustments to your pattern pieces or like I did just make these adjustments as you go. Ultimately, sewing with stretch fabric is very forgiving when it comes to fit, so you can always just sew more or less until you’re happy with the fit at the side seam because the level of stretch in the fabric can alter these rough measurements i’ve provided.
Remember when sewing the side seam to stop at the side slit notch and then fold the fabric to the wrong side and sew in place.
It was such a fun sew and something that came together so quickly, so I know I’ll be making this again!
