I had high hopes for the holidays last year (and how social we could be), so I dug into my stash and pulled out this beautiful silk I bought at Mill End the weekend of Portland Frocktails and made this Megan Neilsen Sudley Dress.
Details
Pattern
Megan Neilsen Sudley Dress: View C
This dress can be made all sorts of ways, but I decided to do the keyhole in the front, no collar, and no lining.
Size traced and sewn
Size 12
My current measurements are Bust=39″, Waist=35″, Hips=45″ (and I am 5’10”), but I went by my bust measurements only, as this dress has a lot of ease, especially in the waist and hips. Technically, my bust measurements put me in between a size 12 and 14, but in looking at the finished measurements I decided to go with the size 12.
Pattern adjustments
After making a muslin, I added 1″ to bodice.
Fabric
Silk from Mill End
I hand washed and hang dried the silk and was careful pressing it (on the silk setting) and it seemed to press pretty well. It was also a fairly stable silk, but I still have the giant roll of paper I bought to cut the silk for my wedding dress, so I went ahead and got that out and cut this fabric out on that.
Since the fabric is sheer, I knew I didn’t want to completely line it. I thought about hacking the lining so the top was a tank instead, but after seeing this version of the Sudley Dress by Katie Makes a Dress I decided not to line it at all and make a slip for it instead. My plan was to make the short version of the Friday Pattern Co. Saltwater Slip to go under it but since it’s still cold out, I have just been wearing a black Super Basic Tank Top and black Avery Leggings under it. Eventually, I will make a slip for it, since I think this could be a great spring/summer dress as well.
Construction notes
I FRENCH SEAMED THE WHOLE THING! That gets all caps because I don’t usually do French seams and have definitely never French seamed a whole dress. It really wasn’t that bad and was definitely worth it for this dress. The neck binding was super fiddly though. At one point I thought I had messed it up, but it turned out fine. Luckily, I did not have to do a lot of unpicking on this dress as that could have been a disaster. Also worth noting is that there is no zipper in this dress, so that made the construction of this dress feel fast!
Fit
This isn’t my usual silhouette. I have historically been more of a fit and flare kind of girl, but that could be changing since I am pleasantly surprised by how much I like this dress. The cut of the dress and the silk make for a very comfortable garment. I can add this to my arsenal of secret pajamas!
Final Thoughts
I don’t sew with or purchase silk that often (probably not since my wedding dress), so this felt like a special fabric. I didn’t want it to languish in my stash for too long, so I was happy I sewed it up. Lately, I’ve been making things I am pretty excited about and this is one of them. A couple of them are dresses that I currently have nowhere to wear, but once I do have somewhere to go, I’ll be ready!