Rooibos Dress

rooibos dressrooibos dress neckline

by Melissa

There's a reason we continue to feature the local company Colette Patterns (see Sencha review here),
and it's not just because they design beautiful clothes.  The
instructions are clear and well written, the diagrams are thorough, and
the details are thoughtful and stylish.  They qualify as intermediate
level patterns, but I'll go out on a limb and say that they are written
better than a lot of easy-to-sew commercial patterns and they turn out much nicer results. 

This is the Rooibos Dress from their latest collection. 

Details:


  • Cotton/Hemp Grey Fabric  (about 14 dollars/yard for nearly 60" width), Moda Cross Weave for pocket liner and facing, poly satin piping (pre-made)-- all purchased at Bolt

  • Size 10

  • Vintage broach detail on the collar


I decided to leave out the interfacing, but other than that, the pattern was made with no adjustments.  Had I sewn up a muslin of the top ahead of time, I might have sized down slightly (there appears to be more ease than stated, and the armholes could do with a little raising).  The piping is optional, and when I make it again I might leave it out just to save time.  I love the look, but I ripped it out and resewed it around the neckline (it's tricky) until I had it in evenly.  Thicker piping might also make it more forgiving to sew. 

All the pieces go together like they should, and I learned how to attach the facing to both the sleeve and neckline with some clever rolling.  That alone was worth the price of the pattern.  The pattern pieces took me an evening to cut out and the dress itself took two more 2-3 hour sittings.  Melissa and I bought our fabrics the same day, and I'm a little jealous of her fabric choices.  For lovely inspiration and news, check in with Colette Patterns on their blog.  Bolt carries their full line in store.