I’ve sewn a few Cashmerette patterns now, and they’ve all been pretty successful.

This is the Pembroke dress.  Cashmerette describe the pattern as follows: Take on your day with the Pembroke Dress & Tunic! This iconic T-shirt dress, in midi or tunic length, is designed for curves with an optional waist tie and modern split hem detail. Choose from three neckline options (scoop, jewel, or turtleneck) and either cuffed or hemmed sleeves. Whether made up in a lightweight ponte or flirty floral jersey, there’s nothing basic about this wardrobe essential!

As you can see, I sewed the dress version with cuffed three-quarter sleeves, and the scoop neck option.  I did also include the waist ties.

The ties can be done up at the front, as in the pattern illustrations, but I tried them at the back too. I generally avoid any type of waist definition, because all it defines is that I am very straight up and down from the front and have quite a belly.  But I gave it a go.

The back has my usual short back waist length issues. I REALLY need to start making that alteration as part of standard practice, like I do with grading out through the waist (this dress is the 12 C/D graded to somewhere between 14 and 16 through the waist). Too much extra fabric. You can also see it easily when the ties are at the back – it almost blouses.

I gave this dress away. It’s unfortunate, because I really love the fabric – it’s a quality European cotton/spandex from Crafty Mamas Fabrics – and  I like the general idea of this dress, but I knew that I just wasn’t going to wear it with those ties. And rather than just remove the ties and/or shorten the dress into a top, I hoped that someone else would wear it as it is and look and feel great in it.

That’s not to say that I have a problem with the pattern – I’m pretty sure that I’d use the pattern again. But I’d probably size up, do tunic length, leave out the ties, and do a short back waist length alteration.