Serendipity Studio Kimono

I made the Serendipity Studio Kimono Dress sewing pattern, in tunic length, to wear to Quilt Market on the plane. This pattern really will flatter any body shape, and it was so pleasurable to sew up! Just lovely!

Fabric – For the fabric, I used Anna Maria Horner voile called Square Dance. I have it in 4 different colorways, and eventually I would like to make this pattern in at least one more colorway. This is a panel print, and if you are not familiar with this particular fabric, there are the large squares at the bottom of the panel, and short squares at the top of the panel. I had a 2-yard piece of fabric, and I fussy-cut it so that the small squares were at the top of my shirt, and the large squares were at the bottom. The pattern calls for using a separate 1/4 yard for the trim on the sleeves (which you can probably see better in the cover of the pattern above), but I just used the scraps from my main fabric and I managed to have enough.

What’s nice about this pattern is that there are several lengths for the dress, including a tunic length and a tiered-skirt. I used the tunic length, plus I added 3″ in length because I am kind of particular about…well, I just like my shirts to cover most of my butt, lol!

Pattern Pieces – This is a tissue pattern, and there are a couple pieces for the bodice, a couple for the skirt, and then the waistband and 2 facings, which are used for the neck. If you’re not familiar with garment sewing, a facing is sort of a thin band that is sewn to the raw edge of, in this case the neckline, so that those raw edges are enclosed (rather than having to sew a lining, which would be like sewing up 2 of the same dress, one in the outer fabric and one in the lining fabric). As far as clothing goes, pretty simple to cut out. I also used a light-weight fusible interfacing from Pellon to fuse to my facings, to give them a bit of stability, per the pattern instructions.

Illustrations/Instructions – There are many illustrations throughout the pattern, to help you along the way. One of the stand-out features of all of the Serendipity Studio sewing patterns is that the author, Kay Whitt, gives you a ton of options, such as a rouched shoulder, different hems, the tiered skirt, etc. You don’t have to figure any of this out yourself…it’s all outlined in the instructions.

The closure for this pattern is a pretty drawstring waist, so you won’t have to worry about a zipper with this one. The drawstring is sewn, and then fed through a casing that you make at the waist. Very easy! I like it a lot because you can adjust the tightness, and also you can sort of adjust where the shirt hits on your body.

I didn’t make any modifications while I was working on the pattern, besides making the tunic length slightly longer.

Conclusion – Well, I’m going to make this short and sweet. If you are new to garment sewing, any of the Serendipity Studio patterns will suit you, this one in particular because you don’t have to worry about a zipper. Also, since it’s a loose fitting top (or dress), there are really no sizing or fitting issues to worry about (unlike a form-fitting dress with darts), in my opinion. Very easy! I definitely recommend giving this one a try, especially with summer coming up around the corner…try it in a voile like I did, you won’t be disappointed!