Dress Up Party – Pattern Review – Deer and Doe Belladone

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

When Sara kindly asked me to join her Dress Up Party, it was the perfect opportunity to make a dress for a wedding I’m attending this Sunday! It didn’t take me long to settle on Deer and Doe’s Belladone Dress pattern, because I’m a sucker for back detail and minimalist skirts that can still accommodate my junk. Truth be told, I can’t believe I waited this long to whip a Belladone up…I’m delighted with the result!

Due to the stretch of my medium-weight cotton I cut out a 36 across the neckline, armholes and back, grading to a 38 everywhere else. I always find it a bit tricky to choose a size when finished measurements aren’t provided, but my choice worked out well for me, though I suspect I may have needed to grade up for a fabric with less stretch.

Predictably, my favourite part of this dress is the lovely crossover back detail. The edges are finished with bias binding, as are the neckline and armholes, lending this pattern to a whole load of fun with contrasting binding. There are so many fun Belladones out there, but I wanted to keep my version streamlined so I turned my bias binding under.

The other thing I love about this pattern is the pleated skirt front. The two big pleats add enough volume to the A-line skirt, without adding unnecessary bulk to the waistline. For extra brownie points, there’s pockets too!

Unusually, Belladone comes with a hem facing reminiscent of vintage patterns and rarely seen in contemporary patterns. The finish is fantastic, especially if you hand-pick the raw edge of the facing to the skirt, which I happily took the time to do. Given this luxurious detail, I found it slightly disappointing that the pattern doesn’t come with some kind of waistline facing for a tidier finish in that area too. I know it’s simple enough to draft your own, but that’s not really the point.

The pattern is unlined, so if you want to add a skirt lining for layering up with tights in colder weather, don’t make the silly mistake I did. Remember that the skirt front piece is shaped around the pocket facing, so you’ll need to overlap the two pieces and trace in the full skirt front shape.

Overall, I give the Belladone Dress a HUGE thumbs up! It’s pretty and versatile, coming together easily thanks to a clear set of instructions and diagrams. Thank you for inviting me to party along Sara…I’ve really enjoyed seeing everyone else’s makes!