Skip to main content

Made By A Fabricista: The Westcliff Dress

Hello friends.  Do you love a wrap dress? 

This is Byrd, your curvy sewist and I am back with my latest Fabricista make.  The re-release of DVF Diane von Furstenberg’s Wrap Dress has everyone pulling out their favorite wrap dress patterns.  The DVF was initially released in 1974 and re-issued earlier this year.  If you love a wrap dress, you will love the Friday Pattern Company Westcliff Dress.  It is a size-inclusive beginner-friendly faux wrap dress with a tie belt that runs from XS to 4X.  My Westcliff is sewn up in Fabric Mart’s cotton lycra painterly floral knit.  

Fabric Mart’s cotton lycra is perfect for a spring or summer wrap dress.  It’s lightweight and breathable with a soft drape and excellent recovery. The fabric has gorgeous light lime green, white and purple flowers set against a light gray backdrop.  

The fabric is easy to cut and sew.  To keep fabric from slipping, use pins or clips as you sew together layers of fabric.  You can use a serger/overlocker, stretch stitch or a narrow zig-zag stitch to sew up the Westcliff.  After washing and drying my fabric, I didn’t notice any shrinkage or fraying but recommend overlocking your raw edges. 


The Friday Pattern Company instruction booklet is detailed and easy to follow. I appreciate the detailed finished garment measurements chart which included measurements for your bust, waist, hips and biceps.  

My measurements are bust 42, waist 37 and hips 47.  I cut an XL at the bust and graded to XXL at the hips..  There are two bust cup sizes to choose from - B and D cups.  I graded between the two.  I like the tie belt and the way it cinches in the waistline; however, I widened the belt and added interfacing for a more stable and structured look.  I like the tiny gathers at the front bodice and the clean binding finishings.  There is an optional bottom ruffle and a faux wrap top version.


A good fit is so important.  Before closing and sewing the front bodice at the waistline, try it on several times and make necessary adjustments. This is also a good time to shorten the waist if needed.  The fit for me was spot on and no modifications were needed.  

I styled my Westcliff with a pair of light gray platform sandals.  The dress is easy to make and super cute - two of my favorite things.  Right after sewing this up, I dropped my new dress in my luggage for my 20th wedding anniversary getaway.  

Thank you for reading!  

Until next time, happy sewing,

BYRD  @yogabyrdsews


You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: COTTON & KNITS.

Comments

  1. You look lovely in the dress. Love your shoes. Happy anniversary! Thanks for sharing a new to me pattern.

    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: Sheer Elegance and Everyday Comfort with my Two New Tops

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon from Sharon Sews with my last Fabricista make for 2025. While many sew a special holiday outfit at year’s end, I went in another direction sewing two tops that couldn’t be more different. One is sheer and elegant while the other is easy comfort for everyday wear.  These tops reflect how I dress at this stage of life. As an over-50 sewist, these two tops reflect how I dress at this point in my life.  Sometimes I want something a bit special, other times more basic. Either way, sewing them in beautiful fabrics, custom fit to my body, makes all the difference in how I feel when I wear them. Even though I’m quite pleased with my two tops, my original plan was to sew a jacket with the tropical print stretch twill and pair it with a top sewn from the soutache mesh knit . Sadly, I wasn’t quick enough to get enough of the stretch twill to make a jacket, so a top it was!  You do know you have to act fast when you see something you love on Fabric ...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing for a Florida Cold Snap with Fabric Mart Fabrics

Even here in Florida, we get the occasional cold weather surprise, and when temperatures dipped recently, I was very glad to have the perfect handmade outfit ready to go. For this month’s Fabricista make, I sewed up New Look pattern 6771, using two beautiful fabrics sent to me by Fabric Mart Fabrics. The Fabric & Pattern Choice New Look 6771 is a cozy two-piece set featuring a relaxed-fit top and pull-on pants—exactly the kind of pattern that works well for transitional weather. I chose to start with the top, using a brown animal print French terry from Fabric Mart, and it turned out to be an absolute dream to work with. The French terry was soft, substantial without being heavy, and handled beautifully at the machine . It had just the right amount of structure to highlight the pattern’s design details while still feeling comfortable and wearable. From cutting to pressing, this fabric behaved perfectly and elevated the final garment. The Top: A Total Win The top from New Look 677...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing the Coziest Pajama Set

For most of my life, I happily wore mismatched pajamas. Not caring what my pajamas looked like, just delighting in anything clean and comfortable. My sister also had the same mentality about pajamas until one day it all changed.  She came over for a fun sister hangout weekend and pulled out a set of matching pajamas! I nearly dropped over with shock! Growing up, she was the queen of mismatched pajamas. She was notorious for wearing faded t-shirts and pajama shorts long after their life expectancy. But there she was in a set of sophisticated matching pajamas with white piping, raving about how wonderful they were. If the queen of mismatched pajamas could appreciate a fine pair of matching pajamas, everyone could. Shortly after that, I decided to give matching pajamas a try, and I became hooked as well.  There is a peace and order that comes with having a matching pajama set. You always know which pajama top goes with which bottoms. You can reach for them quickly in the closet a...