Garments

Dress Up Party – Pattern Review – Sewaholic Lonsdale

DressUpParty
This post is part of Dress Up Party. For contest rules, full details, and schedule, please click here!
Today’s post is from Shari.

I am estatic to be a part of the Dress Up Party here at Sew Sweetness!   I’ve been a fan of Sara’s for several years and that only increased after spending a weekend with her at Camp Stitchalot last year.     It’s overwhelming to be in such illustrious company with all the other party guests — I’m not a blogger (as of yet), a fabric designer or a pattern designer.   I simply like to sew.

I was drawn to quilting after my oldest son was born (he’s 6’4” and soon to celebrate his 16th birthday so it’s been a while!) but over the past two years I’ve begun spending more time garment sewing than quilting.    The independent pattern companies have created numerous fashionable garment options and used blogs and social media to provide help and inspiration.   The only problem for me is that the garment styles trend towards a younger generation or a slim silhouette — neither of which describe me!    So, when it came time to pick a dress for the party I was drawn to Sewaholic Patterns who design for those of the “pear” persuasion.

Summer is approaching so I settled on the Sewaholic Lonsdale as it wasn’t a style of dress that I have currently in my wardrobe.    A quick scouring of blogs, Instagram and Pattern Review helped me understand others experience with the pattern and a Sewaholic Sew Along for the Lonsdale Dress ensured that I would have all the support I needed to sew a great dress.

There’s a wealth of information out there so I won’t repeat it here but I will make a few points about the Lonsdale pattern.

  • Fabric.  You’ll need yards – and a lot of them.  If your print has a direction, you’ll need even more.   With all that fabric, you’ll create a lot of scraps.   If you’re a quilter, you’ll have scraps for you and your guild to share.
  • Experience.   You’re going to learn a lot while sewing this pattern.   It’s brilliant in that regard.   Underlining versus lining.   Understitching.   Folded and stitched seam finishing.    For extra credit, you can even try pattern matching the skirt panels.   The Sew Along covers all these techniques.
  • Inside Out.  The design of the Lonsdale pattern creates a dress that is almost as beautiful on the inside as out.    I prefer to sew garments that rival ready to wear in construction details — and this is one!

I started with a “muslin” using fabric from my stash – in that way, if all went well, my muslin would be wearable.     I’ve been fortunate to score several fantastic bargains at QuiltHome over the years.    Watch their daily specials and you can find fabric for less than $5/yard – see comment above that Lonsdale needs a lot of fabric!   With fabric prices being what they are, you’ll want to score fabric on sale if you plan to sew the Lonsdale Dress.

Only one problem presented itself during the sewing of my “muslin”.    I tend to have fitting problems below the waist not above so this was a first.

lonsdale1 lonsdale2

 

 

To adjust the muslin, I created darts on each side, tapering them all the way to waist.   The top edge of the bodice isn’t smooth through the dart but it falls under the arm so unless I plan to raise my arms over my head I doubt that anyone would notice while the dart ends at the waist are noticeable and I need to go back to the iron and see if I can get them to smooth out.

There’s one more accessory I need for my Lonsdale – a tan!

lonsdale3

 

This pattern is best for an intermediate level sewer and will create a fashionable garment.   My Lonsdale will certainly see wear this summer and with my adjustments transferred to my pattern pieces, I’ll be sewing up another one too!

Thanks for inviting me to the Dress Up Party Sara!

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One thought on “Dress Up Party – Pattern Review – Sewaholic Lonsdale

  1. lucilledupuis says:

    Looks great on you! The neckline snugs nicely. I like that in a pattern – lines that work well.

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