Friday Pattern Company Wilder Gown in Floral Crepe

I have been dying to make the Wilder Gown ever since it was launched but life just kept getting in the way.  I had been searching for more of a winter floral ditsy print but when I was cutting some of our floral textured crepe, inspiration struck.  I hope you’ll agree with me that it is a lovely match for the pattern. Its light weight and drape make for a flowy silhouette and also ensure the tiers don’t look too voluminous.  The dress has a beautifully simple construction – no zips, buttons or elastic needed. The neckline feels quite high fashion and I added my own twist with the velvet ribbon and hacked sleeves.  I replicated the neck closure at the wrists but used elastic to gather the ends.

I’m not gonna lie, this fabric is challenging to work with – it is shifty and frays quite a bit. But the print, texture and drape are so gorgeous I forgave it!  I would have used spray starch from the get go, but I didn’t have any and couldn’t nip out as I was cutting it out very late on a Friday night with the kids asleep and my other half out on the town!  I just taped it down when I was cutting out and that worked well. I overlocked all of the pieces prior to construction and, as well as preventing the fraying, it gives the dress a nice RTW quality. It sewed up nicely after the cutting drama.  The dress can be thrown into the washing machine, dries in a jiffy and requires no ironing – tick, tick, tick!

The really special thing about this dress is that I made it at the inaugural Lets Sew Belfast – a sewing day organised by the lovely Mo (@mo.makesandsews).  Around 15 sewists gathered at Café Cuan in Belfast City Centre on a Sunday and it was a truly lovely experience. We sewed, chatted and exchanged tips all to a soundtrack of relaxed tunes – I felt like I’d found my happy place! Shout out to the lovely Barbara who kept us well fed and watered throughout the day.  I can’t wait to do it again and meet some more local sewists in real life.