Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: The Classic Erica Dress

By

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 (here, here 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. UnknownJanuary 25, 2020 at 9:39 AM

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

    ReplyDelete
  2. MaricaFebruary 2, 2020 at 9:32 PM

    Thanks

    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.

Recent Posts You Might Like

Sewing With Intention: New Look 6106 and a More Coordinated Wardrobe

By
Sometimes a sewing project begins with a beautiful piece of fabric or a pattern you just have to make. This one began with my closet. Recently, I did a major closet purge. I took a good look at what I actually wear, what I kept reaching for, and—maybe more importantly—what was missing. Once the pieces I no longer loved or wore were gone, something became very clear: I want to be more intentional about what I sew next. Instead of sewing individual pieces that I love but don't necessarily wear together, I want to build a wardrobe where my handmade garments coordinate with the clothes I already own—and with the pieces I'm planning to sew next. For this month's Fabricista project, this beautiful lightweight shirting from Fabric Mart turned out to be a wonderful place to start. The Fabric That Started It All Fabric Mart provided this beautiful oatmeal and black heathered shirting , along with the matching thread for my project. One of the things I love most about this fabric is ...
9 comments
Continue Reading »

The Perfect Plan for this Linen Blend! Until I Changed My Mind.

By
Hello Sewing Friends!  It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews with another Fabricista make.  When I saw this linen blend designer fabric on the Fabric Mart Fabrics website, I was intrigued.  After all, I, like many of you, love to find designer fabrics at an affordable price. It is a linen/nylon/rayon/Lycra blend, and I wondered what the designer had created with the fabric as I wasn’t familiar with that combination of fibers.  Surprisingly, I discovered a sleeveless, lined, mid-length vest in the same color with an almost identical fabric composition. Perfect! I’ve been wanting to sew a longer vest with matching pants, and that discovery confirmed this fabric would work beautifully for the look I had in mind.  The vest I’m wearing, from the June 2026 Burda Style magazine, it is not what I was originally going to make.  You see when I found the designer’s vest, I remembered seeing a Butterick pattern that was almost identical.  I ordered the pattern excited to...
4 comments
Continue Reading »

Fall + Flannel = Shacket

By
If there is one piece that transitions easily between crisp fall mornings, mid-day warmth, and chilly autumn nights, it’s a shacket. Today, I’m excited to share my latest Fabric Mart make: the Ellie and Mac Patterns Connie Casual Shacket, sewn in a dreamy plaid flannel coating fabric . Here’s a glimpse at how it came together, along with a few construction tips for planning your own version! The Ellie and Mac Patterns Connie Casual Shacket pattern offers plenty of options needed to make the perfect transitional top layer for fall. With a relaxed body, oversized sleeves, three lengths, and a curved or straight hem option, you can make your dream shacket a reality.  For this sew, I selected a plaid flannel coating fabric with a soft blend of sage green and cream tones from the Fabric Mart website. Heavyweight flannel is ideal for a shacket because it provides structure and added warmth. As a bonus, this particular fabric is extra soft and snuggly, which I love. In addition to the fa...
1 comment
Continue Reading »

Meeting Endless Summer Energy with a Maxi Dress

By
How are the temps still so hot?! I’m trying to make the best out of a blazing situation with a gorgeous swishy dress made in a splendid graphic print in an attempt to keep my cool when I am very much not. The heat persists, but so do I (while wearing sundresses)!  I really wanted a full length, all-fancy-design-details-included version of the new Chalk & Notch Noe Tank Dress since testing the pattern. This is View C. This version features a beautiful open back with a tie closure and the long gathered hem for maximum impact.  I chose the higher of two necklines. The pattern features full lining and I used the same fabric for both. I prefer to avoid any peeking-issues the easy way.  As I was scrolling through the challis options on the Fabric Mart site, this one stood out immediately, a beautiful kelly green with big abstract swipes of aqua. Simple, bold, (non-directional!), all of my favorite characteristics necessary for a showstopping dress. I wanted something very ...
Post a Comment
Continue Reading »