Goodness, how did I not get this dress blogged sooner! It’s possibly my favourite sew of 2020.  May I present to you, the Pattern Fantastique Mersis dress!

I first saw this dress when Anna wore a prototype to Frocktails a year or so ago and knew that I would definitely want to sew it when the pattern was released. In the end I pattern tested it (so didn’t pay for the pattern). Nita-Jane likes to get feedback, mostly on the instructions – her pattern making and drafting is superb, I have no suggestions to make on that!

The fabric is linen that I bought in person at The Fabric Store in Dunedin, New Zealand when we visited there a couple of years ago. It’s such a fabulous shade of green and was a perfect fabric souvenir. And a little challenging to thread match from my existing thread stash. I can’t remember which one of these I eventually chose!

I absolutely adore the sleeves. I feel that they have the perfect level of puff, especially given that the fullness is all at the cuff. The sleeves are gathered into a narrow bias cut binding; they’re not elasticised.

This is a garment that takes time and precision sewing. Savour the process and do not rush! And you definitely need to be accurate, especially with those underarm gussets.

From the pattern website: DESIGN: Mersis dress is a shift dress for superstars. The Mersis draws on 80’s glam with generous shapes and peek-a-boo features that suggest more than they reveal. Dynasty balloon sleeves, a deep ‘V’ neck at back and midway ‘V’ for the front neckline. The Centre Front seam features a wide seam allowance topstitched down to enhance the long line from shoulder to hem. The centre front hem features a mitre corner finish and split for the longer lengths. FIT: The Mersis Dress has a shift fit. Loose through the body and slight taper in the dress length hemlines. The ‘V’ necklines are purposefully cut to be above most bra straps and to minimise shoulder drop. Pocket opening and are on high hip to streamline hips and reduce lapline bagging. There’s a lot of ease throughout the body.

I sewed the Midi dress version, which isn’t actually a length that I used to wear very often – but I like it! Do make sure that you reinforce the centre front split with plenty of stitches and possibly even a little interfacing or similar when you sew it – I found this out the hard when when I got out of the car wearing it and heard some of the stitches rip! And because the seams are finished and topstitched so beautifully, it was a hand-stitched fix. Don’t do what I did; make sure that you do that part properly when you first sew it.

Also speaking of ‘don’t do what I did’, make sure that you remove pins before you sew over them or you run the risk of this:

So, back to the dress! I often leave pockets out of dresses, but left then in and I think that they actually provide a nice structural detail.

Nita-Jane is right about the neckline too – there isn’t any bra exposure, and my bra isn’t a skimpy one. And it did pretty much stay on my shoulders – which is a mean feat for me as they are pretty rounded and straps/necklines moving off them is a common issue for me.

I sewed size 14, which was the size suggested by my measurements. At first I thought that I could have gone down one size, but on reflection I think that the 14 is good and it was defintiely comfortable to wear (I wore it to the theatre way back between lockdowns).

So there you go, loads of photos of a dress that I really love. I’ll use the pattern again, maybe to do the top version, but hopefully eventually for a full length stunner like the metallic leopard print version on the pattern website.