Sew Over It describe their Marguerite Dress pattern as the ‘kind of dress you’ll want to live in over the Summer.’ So as the days are lengthening and we’re seeing more sunshine I thought now was the perfect time to try it out.
I’m sure I bought my pattern at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show a couple of years ago (although I could be wrong as I have so many Sew Over It patterns!) but you can buy it on their website here. It has a semi fitted bodice, grown on sleeves with a cuff, a gathered skirt and a nice slit opening at the centre back above the zip.
Fabric:
Recommended fabrics for Marguerite are lightweight wovens such as cotton lawns and rayons. I chose a lightweight floral crepe which I had in my fabric stash. It definitely needs something with drape to make sure the gathers fall nicely.
Fitting:
According to the Sew Over It measurement chart, I fall between a size 8 and 10. I’ve sewn a lot of SoI patterns now and know that I need to go with the 10 otherwise the back comes out a bit narrow for me in an 8, so I did the same with Marguerite.
I recently bought the latest Palmer Pletch Complete Guide to Fitting book, (which is great by the way!) and followed their tissue fitting process for the Marguerite bodice. That showed me that I needed to lengthen the bodice by two inches and also do a forward shoulder adjustment. I found it quite difficult to use that method for the back, I think you really need a fitting partner to do it justice, although I could tell I had too much room in the back but decided to leave it until the fabric fitting to be sure. In the end I needed to take 1 and 3/8s of an inch off both centre back seams to achieve a nice fit.
Sewing:
I found the Marguerite instructions to be really clear and the diagrams which go alongside them were useful. The only part that I struggled with slightly was the sleeve cuff insertion. I didn’t pay enough attention to the diagrams and had to unpick and re-do one of the seams (my fault and not the instructions) and overall, I found it difficult to get the cuffs to stay in position once sewn. I did a few ‘invisible’ stitches to try and get the cuff to sit in place over the sleeve, but it still
seems to want to roll back so I may do a few more! There is some gathering within the dress both above and below the waistband. For a fairly easy technique, I always find it a bit of a challenge to get gathering to be even throughout the seam its going into and this dress was the same. I unpicked and re-did mine in places but maybe that’s my perfectionism getting in the way! I did a rolled hem because of my lightweight fabric and used the brilliant tutorial from Made to Sew which always gives a lovely finish. Those points aside, the sewing was relatively straight forward but I would agree with Sew Over It when they say its an advance beginner to immediate level pattern. I would say you need a few other dresses under your belt before you attempt this one.
Style:
In terms of style, I fell in love with this dress, out of love and then back in love again! The pattern artwork first attracted me with its elegant ladies in their beautiful dresses and I overlooked the gathered waist which I normally try and avoid. Part way through the sewing I tried it on and almost immediately fell out of love with it because I wasn’t happy with the shape over my hips. I’m used to wearing more form fitting clothes so the gathers weren’t to my liking. I stopped sewing feeling disappointed but decided to return to it the next day with a fresh pair of eyes. And I’m so glad I did! I think with a new day, I was more open to the possibility that I don’t have to stick to one particular silhouette and that its good to experiment. The beauty of this dress is that it can be dressed up with heels for a special occasion or looks equally good dressed down with a pair of trainers for a casual weekend. I’m looking forward to wearing it out to the pub for a drink when we’re allowed!
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