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?



Comments

  1. You sure know how to work it out.

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  2. I love your dress - the color is so pretty! It looks great on you and it looks so comfortable, too. Hope you have a great week!

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  3. Just fabulous and I can tell how much you love it from the big smile on your face. Also loving your necklace, beautiful like a rainbow of sweets.
    Have a great week x

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  4. i love the colour and style... its so pretty! you are so very talented!!

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  5. Oh yes, it's lovely, and you've made SUCH a professional job of it as ever. The ties are brilliant, and I particularly love the v-neck, I only ever wear v-necks and I am quite particular about them. Yours is perfection! I love that it goes so well over jeans/leggings as well. It will be that time of year any day now I think. Hope you have a good week. CJ xx

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  6. Great dress and you look fabulous 😀

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  7. I love this dress, especially the pockets and sleeves. You look great in it - relaxed and comfortable. I wish there were things like this in the shops instead of silly impractical long flowery dresses. Need to learn to make my own like you do!

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  8. Wow! That's great. You look so pleased.

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  9. The dress is lovely, and so versatile. X

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  10. Oh yes, that is an essential dress that looks fab on you. What a pain about the fabric you were very patient to find a solution. Jo xx

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  11. that dress is great, it really suits you!

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  12. Christina, you looked rightfully pleased modeling your dress! It certainly seems like a versatile wardrobe addition and different colors would be awesome for you. As to whether it would suit me, regretfully not so much. I am most comfortable wearing jeans.

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  13. I think it looks fab! Just the kind of thing to make in every colour. Would you do a print too? x

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  14. It looks lovely, I really like the sleeve ties

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  15. You look great.. I haven't seen your face on the blog in so long.
    Sorry to hear about the color issues but glad to hear you were able to fix them.

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  16. Your dress is lovely. It looks fabulous on you. Those sleeve ties are cool.

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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