Hi guys! I didn’t blog much during the summer but I did sew a couple of things. Today I’m showing you my take on the Simplicity 8608 wrap dress pattern. A summer favorite I wore non-stop during my vacation!

Olá meninas! Durante o Verão não passei muito tempo aqui pelo blog, mas estive bastante ocupada com a costura. Hoje mostro-vos o resultado deste projeto. O vestido cruzado 8608 da Simplicty num tecido às bolinhas. Quem não gosta?

Wrap dresses have been around for decades but this past summer this style was revived into a fashionable piece with a great variety of design options, prints, and lengths. Pattern companies aware of the hype were quick to release trendy patterns to fulfill the millennial sewist’s needs. I got my eye on this Simplicity pattern really early this year and bought it when I was still finishing writing my thesis (gotta make plans for post-PhD life, am I right?). Later in the summer, I started gathering inspiration for the dress and fell in love with polka dots. I chose a lightweight crepe fabric with big polka dots which I got at the fabric market in Utrecht. The fabric is a bit see-through so I also bought the same fabric in solid white to underline the dress and make it more wearable.

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I picked the dress version of the pattern with flounced sleeves and skirt while keeping a simple neckline. Following the tables in the pattern, I picked I size 8 for the bodice and a size 10 for the skirt. I did some modifications to be able to merge the two sizes between the waist and the hips and additionally reduced 5 cm in length in the bodice since I have a petite frame. Reducing length in the bodice was sufficient and as such, I have kept the length of the skirt as in the pattern. To me this suggests that the dress may be too short on taller ladies, so be sure to measure and adjust before you cut your fabric!

Outfit details

Dress – Handmade by The petite Cat (sewing pattern available here); Sneakers – Adidas (similar here)

Shot by C.E.; Edit & Concept by The petite Cat

Shop the look

Sewing the dress was quite straightforward. I underlined the bodice and the skirt with similar fabric, but made the sleeves and the flounce of the skirt only in the main fabric. The pattern features pockets which I excluded since I didn’t really feel the need for them in this kind of dress, particularly in this fabric. It also features an elasticated waistband and a belt, which really helps to recreate the wrap dress feel. I finished all the seams with my overlocker, so the inside looks very neat – I’ always proud of a properly finished garment! The edges of the flounced sleeves and the flounce of the skirt would have been a nightmare to sew in a regular machine in such a slippery fabric, so I used my overlocker to make a rolled hem along all those edges. It took literally only a couple of minutes and the finish is just so flouncy :) I have been playing with rolled hems quite a lot on my overlocker recently (see here) and I’m writing a tutorial on it as many of you requested!

Would I sew this pattern again? The quick answer is yes because I really love the style and despite the fact that all the flounces together with the polka dots really bring me out of my comfort zone, I have been wearing this dress a lot! It’s also extremely comfortable and amazing to take with me on vacation since it doesn’t even need to be ironed. This was my first time sewing a Simplicity pattern and while the instructions and drawings are ok to follow, the pattern isn’t perfect. Because there is only an elasticated waistband and no zip, I feel the bodice is too large for this size, which makes sense because it needs to fit through your hips since the pattern also comes with a jumpsuit version. But this means that the fit of the bodice isn’t great and I need to use a safety pin to keep it closed. So I think next time, I’ll be reducing the size of the bodice and adding a zip instead for a better fit. But I can’t wait to make another one of these, this time a bit more ‘low profile’ so I can take it to work too!

What do you think of my polka dot wrap dress? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and have a lovely week!

Kisses,

Catia

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