It always fascinates me watching certain patterns become Instagram/blog hits.  I think that most of you could name some – patterns that are released and instantly pop up absolutely everywhere.  Some of them I immediately like, others I think ‘nah’, then upon repeated exposure I fall for them.  This one was an unexpected hit for me.  It’s the Wilder top/gown by Friday Pattern Company.

When I first saw this pattern, I thought ‘nightie’. And I thought ‘no way would I wear a bow tied up at the neck of a top or dress’. Then the more I saw it (and I saw it often) I thought ‘oh, I could leave it untied’ and ‘oh, that would be incredibly cool and comfortable and would easily accomodate weight fluctations and would provide good skin coverage from the sun and wouldn’t it be great in something floaty….’. Well, you get the idea. I was sucked in.

The pattern website describes it as follows: The Wilder Gown is a loose, flowy, tiered dress that can be sewn up in a bunch of different ways! It has raglan sleeves and ties up at the neck. It is easy to sew and is perfect for drapey woven fabrics. The Wilder Gown can be made as a top or dress, long or short sleeved, with one skirt tier or two. The design is fairly modular so it is easy to customize to your vision! SUGGESTED FABRICS: You will get a different look depending on the type of fabric you select. A drapey rayon or silk will give it a more elegant dressy look, while a more sturdy fabric like a linen will give you a structured everyday dress. We encourage you to be creative and daring with fabric! It would look amazing in a cotton voile, rayon challis, or chiffon.

I figured that I should sew the top to check for fit before committing lots of fabric to the long tiered dress (which needs three to four metres).  After burrowing through stash I pulled out this lightweight checked seersucker (I think it was originally from the Darn Cheap Fabrics $2 table).  There was just enough left over from a previous project to eke out the short sleeved top.  Hooray!  Scrap busting, a fit test, and a new garment all in one!

I sewed size XL in line with my bust measurement. This pattern goes from a size XS (32 inch bust) to 4X (54 inch bust). Regarding sizing, their website says: The fit of the Wilder is loose and flowy with a lot of ease. It fits kind of like a nightgown. If you are making the gown, the waist seam is designed to hit just below your bust. The short sleeve option is on the longer side and the hem hits a couple inches above your elbow. The length is designed to be a long midi. This pattern was drafted for a B cup and a height of 5’5” (1,65m). It was tested and found suitable for a variety of cup sizes and includes instructions for a simple full bust adjustment.

This was very easy to sew. Raglan sleeves are always a breeze, and the neckline is self-faced with a channel sewn for the tie that then gathers in the ruffle. There are only four pattern pieces for the top – front, back, sleeves, tie. Very quick. And I do really like it!

I’m definitely going to sew the dress. The chances of me wearing this with a bow tied at the neck are pretty much nil, but the effect of the ruffle is still lovely with it left untied. I’m glad that I jumped on to this particular bandwagon.