Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: The Classic Erica Dress


Happy Saturday Loves! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday and a great start to the New Year!  I really did NOT do any sewing as planned during the last week of 2019 and this first week of 2020.  I pretty much spent the break relaxing, sleeping and working with my Cricut machine. Honestly, I did NOT feel guilty as I sewed more than 52 items in 2019.  I could NOT believe how many items I made after I tallied up the garments.  2020 will be a slow sew year as I am focusing on more crafting and building specific sewing skills such as couture design and coat making.
My first make of 2020 is "The Erica Dress," an indie pattern collaboration with Erica Bunker and Style Sew Me Patterns.  
 When the pattern was released, I knew it was a must make as I fell in love with the open back, the sleeves, and the side slit.  I requested this beautiful designer Boysenberry Rayon/Nylon/Lycra Ponte knit the minute it was posted on Fabric Mart.  If you know me personally, the knit I mostly sew with for my Fabric Mart makes is PONTE knit. 
I just love the fact that Fabric Mart designer Ponte knit has great recovery and stability.  I have sewn with Ponte knit quite a few times in 2019 (herehere and here).  Unfortunately, this color fabric is sold out, however, any medium weight knit or Ponte knit will work for this pattern.
My favorite blend, of course, is the rayon lycra nylon blend ponte knit as it is a little bit more structured than a polyester blend.  The viscose blend is also great for cardigans as it drapes beautifully and falls between the rayon and lycra.
Based on my curves and a more fitted look from the waist to below the hips, I graded between several sizes from the small bust to the medium waist and the large hips. I also wanted it to be longer so I decided to cut the XXL length.  The look I was going for was for it to be shorter than a MAXI and longer than a MIDI dress.
The dress is shortened by folding over the waist area!
 I opted to size down for specifics reasons to see if this pattern could give a fitted look from the hip down to the thigh area to see how it would drape if hacked into a maxi. To create a shorter dress, I folded over the midsection, for a cute flirty look.
Here are a few tips  when grading between multiple sizes from my own failures and personal experience:
  • Grade at the same place for all pattern pieces (front and back pictured here).
  • If grading between multiple sizes eg. small to a large, grade from the small to the medium and them to the large.  
  • If grading between 2 or more sizes, try grading with a meter stick first then a curve ruler especially for long skirts and pants.  


I definitely see a few hack possibilities with this pattern and have already cut my first one which is a top for Valentine's day with some PINK Ponte knit.  I shortened the sleeves to fit above the elbow and reduced the neckband by 3 inches. In addition, I will be using 2 buttons on the back of the neckband for closure. I am so happy that Erica Bunker did a YouTube video sew-along of the pattern and top hack which definitely helped as I am a visual person.
 I am back in the swing of things and will be making a few cardigans over the weekend. Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to stop by my Instagram page to watch my IGTV video saved on the grid with an up-close look of the dress.  What are you working on this weekend? Do you have any specific sewing goals for 2020?

One Love,
Marica - Overdriveafter30

Comments

  1. I absolutely love the color you chose for this dress. It looks absolutely stunning on you. Great job!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: A Denim Set for Spring

Happy Friday All! I am ecstatic to share my latest make that I had on my to make list for a while.  My goal for the month of February was to sew a mini vacation capsule for a trip, but unfortunately I did not get a chance to. I was able to make 3 of the 6 pieces including this denim set. When this beautiful denim fabric arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I have been wanting to recreate a linen look I made a few years ago using the Montoya coat pattern with a few adjustments.  I created VIEW A without the peplum and lengthened it by 6 inches. Instead of sewing the tie inside the seam of the top like I did here, I wanted to make it separate so that it looks like a jumpsuit. (Read the blogpost here ). Moreover, my body has changed and I needed to cut a size larger so that I can rock it as an open vest or a top tucked in. I love the way it turned out but wish I had extended it by 8 inches instead of 6. For the pants, I went to my tried and true simplicity 8605 pants pattern and

Made By A Fabricista: Three Spring Basics – With a Twist

Hello Sewing Friends! By the time spring rolls around I am ready to pack away my winter wardrobe and wear my warm weather clothes. Since I don’t go into an office setting – and I like to be comfortable - basic essentials in my wardrobe include t-shirts, cardigans and knit dresses. The Cardigan The idea of sewing elevated basics came about when I spotted this fabulous FTY knit with a sequin floral and scrolls pattern.  With sequins for daytime being a spring 2023 trend, I decided to use the fabric to sew a cardigan. This is not your typical cardigan. Not only did I choose a sequin knit, but I chose what I consider to be a unique pattern, the Cascade Dress from The Sewing Workshop (now out of print). I have sewn it a few times but never with sequin fabric. My cardigan is actually a top that is designed to button down the front but I made a few small changes to the pattern. I lengthened the front by four inches, removed the front plackets, and added a button and fabric loop at the front n

Made By A Fabricista: Start Summer Sewing Now!

Hello fellow Fabric Mart lovers! It’s March and spring and summer will be here before you know it!  We need to get prepared for warmer weather. Fabric Mart is the place to get started with your warmer weather must haves, whether it's patterns or fabric. As you know they got it all.   I got my hands on an amazing oatmeal colored linen and it was the most perfect fabric for a vacation I took in February.  For a while we (myself and my family) had been planning a trip to Maui!  We finally got to see this beautiful place.  It was mid 70s everyday with just the right amount of humidity.  The sun shined most days and we got sprinkled on by the Hawaiian showers that pop up.  We saw rainbows, whales, turtles and all the lush beauty Maui had to offer us.  It was an amazing trip and this amazing trip needed the right wardrobe.  I took so many of my Fabric Mart Fabric makes with me!! But before I went you know I had to get some more sewing in. Easy and fast was the plan. Also I really wanted