Pattern Emporium Follow Me wrap dress for Clare
I am sure that you’ve worked out by now that my sewing is all over the place this year in terms of seasonality. I’m really just sewing as the mood takes me. Clare rather likes wrap skirts and flounces; she’s tried on plenty in the shops but as is often the case, we’ve generally been unhappy with the fit. Back to the usual solution – me and my sewing room!
The Pattern Emporium Follow Me wrap dress and skirt pattern took our fancy because of the combination of wrap skirt with a ‘regular’ bodice. This removed issues related to gaping necklines etc while still keeping the overall ‘vibe’ of the wrap skirt, especially in combination with a flounce on the skirt and equally flouncy sleeves.
The centre back bodice seam allows for a closer fit and in combination with the waist seam there weren’t any issues with the back waist being too long and having pooling of excess fabric. The sleeves are full circles, with a hole set off-centre that is attached to the armscye.
The neckline was finished with a band, with the seam allowances stitched down. It’s the higher of the round neckline options (there is also low round and deep scoop). I am trying hard to remember what size I sewed for Clare; I suspect it was size 6 top graded to 8 waist. The fabric came from Restash but was originally sold at Spotlight. It’s a fairly slippery polyester knit, one of my least favourite fabrics to sew. I pulled out my overlocker manual and did rolled hems around the bottoms of the sleeve and the skirt flounce. Another use for the pale blue cones of overlocker thread that I bought when making Clare’s formal dress last year!
Construction was almost all on the overlocker. Clare’s dress is the mini length. There is enough overlap in the skirt front wraps that it doesn’t rise up and expose your undies if it gets windy – or if you’re twirling!
From the pattern page: Allow the Follow Me Knit Dress & Skirt to take you on a journey of style, discovery & self expression. By combining different style options, lengths, hemlines & details with a variety of knit fabrics from drapey to full bodied, you can fill your wardobe with a whole range of unique skirts and dresses from just the one pattern. Enjoy the playfulness of a wrap with the peace of mind of a fixed waistline & plentiful coverage so you never have to worry about flashing your bra or knickers! All in the comfort of your fave stretch knit fabrics.
- Wrap front with subtle hilo hemline.
- Plain or flounce detail.
- Fitted bodice.
- 5 Sleeve options : sleeveless, cap, short, long sleeve or flounce
- Necklines: High & low round, plus deep scoop.
- Banded finish.
- 4 lengths : mini, mid, knee & below knee lengths.
- Excellent coverage of knickers & bra.
I also sewed this as a fit test for a potential valedictory/graduation dress. Since then Clare has decided that she fancies a different dress style – so I’ll be sewing up a muslin of Lekala 2124 during the school holidays. Although we know the traditional valedictory dinner won’t be taking place this year, she’ll still get a dress!
I am sure that we’ll get plenty of use from this pattern. There’s the option to sew it as a skirt, rather than a dress. It’s multi-sized, so I might even sew a version of it for myself at some stage! As with all Pattern Emporium patterns, there are plenty of photos of various versions of the dress on a wide variety of shapes and sizes on the pattern page – you can nearly always find someone of a similar size and shape to yourself so that you can get an idea of whether you fancy it too. There’s also an extremely active Facebook group.
Lovely dress!
So pretty!
This is great! A winner!
This is the most gorgeous dress on Clare. The cut, style, colour looks fabulous.
This dress is absolutely a big fashion hit! Your daughter looks so grown up and lovely in this creation.
that is super cute – looks perfect on her. That color is fantastic on her. Also you pattern placement on the front bodice is just right
Beautiful dress on Clare! Love the color(s), you are particular in the colors you each wear. And the shorts (pajama) set is so cute. You have great fabrics available to you. And the possum shawl, beautiful work! I always enjoy seeing where your creativity leads you, Lara!