Sew Over It Eve Dress

I have been waiting to get my hands on this pattern for so long! Sew Over It schedule their patterns as classes and then eventually bring them to wider scale production as patterns or pdfs. I saw this dress over a year ago and have been patiently waiting for it to be available. I was so excited I even went to the release party in April! And then...waiting a little longer to keep in theme with the #wardrobebuilder project. It's totally been worth the wait.

Fabric

I bought this fabric in store at the Sew Over It Eve party. It's labelled as a crepe, but feels much more like the viscose fabrics I've bought. Unfortunately it doesn't appear on their online store, though I have found some at the Fabric Godmother for £16 per metre. I fell in love with the soft silky touch that this fabric has - I spent ages stroking it in the store! I adore the delicate nightingale and leaf pattern too (though perhaps should have considered pattern placements a little more carefully). It's perfect for the Eve dress because it has lot of lovely drape, in tune with the feminine look of this pattern. It's a fabric muncher though - the pattern says you'll need over 3 metres. (FYI I bought 3m and had enough left over for my Gretta vest, just)

Pattern and instructions

The Eve dress is available as a printed or as a pdf pattern. It is a wrap over dress with the option for a dipped or straight hem, and either fluted or straight sleeves. It's a very feminine style, with gentle gathering at the shoulders too. It's a true wrap dress so it has very long waist ties that you can use to adjust the fit. A beginner could tackle this pattern, but I wouldn't recommend it for your first dress. There are a few techniques involved beyond darts and seaming. However, it doesn't have any zips or buttons which is always handy! I bought a printed pattern, which includes an instruction booklet along with tissue pattern pieces to cut out. I opted for version 1 with the fluted sleeves and dipped hem.



The instructions are always very clear and written in plain English - though there is sewing terminology I find them easier to understand than commercial patterns. The diagrams that accompany are also pretty helpful in explaining what to do. It was the first time I had used stay tape and I had to do some investigating online to find out how to sew it in as the instructions didn't really detail this. For anyone wondering - you need stay tape because the front bodice panels have a bias cut. If you don't sew in tape you can end up with a gapey front. To sew in stay tape you quite literally, sew it to the inside of the garment, within the seam allowance stated, using a straight stitch. When you fold in and sew the raw edge (or rather overlocked), it's then hidden. One thing I do like is how they tell you overlock pretty much everything before you sew it - you get nice open seams this way, but have to be careful not to cut off the seam allowance!

I would say the only other frustrating part was turning through the waist ties. This is one of my pet hates as it always takes me so long. I'm considering investing in a rouleau turner to see if that helps - if you have one let me know if it's worth it!

Alterations

I cut a size Sew Over It size 10 as this matches my measurements, though I do wonder if it's a little too large around the bodice and could do with being a smaller size - I always have this problem so should have anticipated it really. As it's a wrap dress I didn't bother with any alteration - I just pull it a little tighter.

I did have to chop a lot off the bottom - this could have been a maxi dress on my 5ft frame. The bottom of the back hem reached my feet. There's a good 20cm or so that went in the bin (so I might even have got away with 2.5m of fabric instead of the 3.2m it says...). I'm sure a more experienced seamstress would have identified this just from the pattern, but I was so eager to get making I didn't really think this might be a problem! I let the dress hang on Lady Penelope (my dressform) overnight just to make sure it wasn't going to stretch or end up with a wonky hem, but it was okay.

Thoughts

Would I make this pattern again? Definitely a yes. I'm eyeing up a cobalt blue crepe for a bold, dressier look. I like the straight lines option, but doubt I'll make it.
Would I recommend this pattern? Also yes, though achievable for a beginner, definitely not an entry level project.
What do I love most about this pattern? The details that are its characteristics - the fluted sleeves, gathered yoke and dipped hem all create a beautiful flowing look. I feel that I should be in the Mediterranean when I'm wearing this! The adjustable handiness of the wrap is also a welcome feature - and means no fiddling with zips.
What I don't like - turning through the waist straps. It took at least an hour!