The Hallon Dress by Paradise Patterns
I’ve made a few dresses so far, but I’m still getting my footing when it comes to sewing apparel. (Read: This is the first one I’ve felt remotely comfortable sharing.) A black slip dress was something that was definitely missing from my wardrobe and I love this one’s simple shape and open back. I’ve seen a lot of people make the tiered, flowy version of this dress, but I was so excited by this straight, sleek variation when I saw it.
The biggest hiccup: The fabric. I picked up this eco satin from Black Bird Fabrics when they were having a big sale months ago. Mind you, I had never worked with slippery fabrics before. It was a learning curve, and I ultimately hemmed the bottom of the dress 3 different times because of the way it settled as it hung. I also made a grave mistake by not stay stitching or working on a surface large enough to not let gravity morph my cut pieces.
The only thing that wasn’t user error and was more of a fit issue was the arm holes. For my next make, I will definitely be cutting longer bias tape for around the arms, as the dress is just a bit snug there. Other than that, I love the fit and the drape!
The biggest win: Bias Tape! This was my first successful attempt at bias tape and I was honestly pretty impressed with myself, I mean look at those stitches!
I really want to make this in a woven cotton or linen.
