The Karlene Dress is the first Fibre Mood pattern that I have sewn and I must say it didn’t disappoint. This dress is part of Edition 8 of the sewing magazine that was released this week. I was lucky enough to be gifted a copy of this pattern prior to its release.
Fibre Mood describe this dress as date ready, dreamy and feminine. I think they have summed it up perfectly. The first step was to find a fabric that resonated that dreamy and feminine vibe. I found a beautiful Rayon Crepe at Spotlight Stores and it is currently on special for $12/mt. I feel in love with the vintage feel of this fabric. The print has a water colour painting feel to it. It is a little see through in daylight but completely fine when wearing in side. Overall I think it’s a beautiful crepe with a great handle and drape.
Fibre Mood patterns can come with or without seam allowance. I selected the pattern that included seam allowance. The pattern pieces are all numbered but they are not labelled with a name or cutting instructions. To help in the cutting out process I labeled all of the pieces myself using the pattern instructions as a guide just to make sure everything was clear prior to cutting. After comparing my body measurements with the pattern chart I cut the size S pattern.
I didn’t make any adjustments to the pattern and you can see the finished length here. I am 174cm tall. The pattern instructions were methodical and presented in a clear manner. I only hand sew as a last resort and ditch stitched the neck facing down as not to hand sew the facing.
And did I mention this dress also has pockets! I love a pocket. It gives me somewhere to put my awkward arms when I’m not sure what else to do with them. Take your time with your gatherers to make sure they are even. This will improve the overall finish of your dress.
The dress pattern comes with a self fabric belt. It can be worn without the belt if you prefer that super floaty look or any other belts you may have in your wardrobe as pictured above. It could be dressed up or down with sandals or heels. Or you could go for that casual vibe with a pair a sneakers.
The sleeves push up over my elbow to create a 3/4 sleeve look or can be worn down. The sleeve opening when worn down is a little big for me and the sleeve slips down over my hand which is a little annoying. It’s something I will be able to easily fix by adding a little bit of elastic to the sleeve cuff bind. When I make the dress again I will make the sleeve opening slightly smaller just so it doesn’t slip over my hand.
I finished my dress off with a MADE WITH LOVE AND SWEAR WORDS woven label by Kylie And The Machine. It probably wasn’t the most appropriate label for this make as no swear words happened during the making process. I just loved the colours of the label with the colours of the dress. Fibre Mood have labelled this pattern with 2 stars out of 5 for difficulty and I think they are pretty spot on. There are no zippers. The most difficult tasks are the neck facing and sleeve bind finish.
I feel very honoured to be part of the launch of this pattern and it is a pattern that I can happily recommend. It is very versatile in the way it can be worn which I think caters for varying tastes in style and body sizes.
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