wardrobe essentials 2021 - the Emelia dress

Another garment post, this time about my favourite summer 2021 make, the Emelia Dress. You have seen this before, on a hanger but I wanted to give it a post all on its own

The Emelia Dress is a Sew Me Something pattern. The patterns are for simple, versatile garments and appeal to my need for clothes that are uncomplicated and practical. I find the sizing is on the generous size and while this works for me as an generously sized person, I think it is important to pay attention to the final garment sizes. You may find that you need to size down or may not need to grade between sizes if you, like me fit into different sizes.

The fabric is from Minerva. I am not a fan of this Amazon style behemoth for fabrics and haberdashery with aggressive marketing and an impenetrable website. But just like I buy from Amazon, I sometimes by from Minerva. They have an excellent selection of linens. I ordered a length of a soft navy blue. There was a large discolouration in the fabric but I was too lazy to return it. I thought the discolouration would slowly blend in. Linen does age very nicely and I like how over time this material becomes softer and a bit washed out. Except this one, it was jinxed. There must have been a dyeing issue with this particular bolt and it went unnoticed by quality control. Maybe the dye fixing, I don't know. Anyway, the colour was not stable at all and maroon-tinged blue patches appeared on the dress. I felt a little heartbroken but fabric dye came to the rescue. Linen takes dye well and what you see on the photos is the garment twice washed after machine dyeing it with Dylon navy blue fabric dye. Except the close up of the sleeves, that is a photo from before it all went pear shaped. Otherwise the fabric is lovely, soft, crinkly, just like linen should be.

The instructions for the garment construction are clear and easy to follow. The only fiddly part is the attachment of the back yoke pieces to the back of the dress. I think there is a mistake in the instructions, at one step the diagram differs from the text instructions. Maybe I was just confused, I really don't know. In the end, I used the instruction of another Sew Me Something dress pattern, the Helena Dress. The construction is the same but the instructions are different. I wasn't too sure about the ties on the sleeves but I do like them. Linen doesn't tie so easily, it is more of a chunky knot. They were a faff to sew but I managed in the end. There is the tiniest of "hems" around the opening above the tie. The instructions said to fold over 3 mm and then again, then stitch in place. This might be easier with a light weight fabric. Still, it looks good.  On the back, the garment features an inverted box pleat. and at the front the fabric is crossed over and stitched in place. Big pockets in the side seam are a bonus. 

The dress is perfect for all seasons. In summer, I wore it without jeans/leggings but now it is a bit chilly. I usually wear it over jeans and I wear it all the time, it is super practical and pretty, too. I made a second version in a teal but I don't like it as much as the blue one. I left the ties out on the sleeves.... big mistake, it just is a little bit boring. 

I can see a future with one Emelia Dress in each colour of the rainbow. Maybe I'll try a lighter weight fabric, too. What do you think? A dress you would wear, too?