Hi Everyone! I know it’s been a while since I’ve shared one of my makes. Truth is…..I haven’t been doing much sewing for myself lately. I go through fazes just like everyone else, and was filling my time with other interests. My sewjo was reignited when Sonia Estep Designs posted about the New Samantha promo. I knew I wanted to participate as soon as I saw it. It’s just my style and I knew exactly which fabric from my stash that would be perfect. This will be my Christmas Dress this year and I’m very excited to wear it and show it off.
The fabric I selected is a Silk Jersey knit. It has a beautiful drapy hand and I knew it would be perfect. This fabric has a tricky print so I really took my time matching it the best I could. I really love the way it looks down the center of the sleeve (left pic). As with all Sonia Estep Designs, they only have a few pattern pieces and are a very quick make. There are 2 length options, (dress length & tunic length) and 2 sleeve options (long straight & bishop with cuff) included with this pattern. I chose to make the dress length and bishop sleeve without the cuffs. I used my regular sewing machine and my serger for this simple construction.
I cut my regular size 12 in this pattern brand, but made a couple of alterations to this pattern. Since my fabric has a plain side and a printed side, I knew I didn’t want my tie to show the wrong side of my fabric (below left pic). I took the pattern piece that drapes across the front of the dress and added a facing to the bottom of the tie. This way, it could fall naturally and I wouldn’t have to worry about the wrong side showing. The other change I made was to use the bishop sleeve pattern and add 1 1/2″ to the length (below center pic). I omitted the cuff and added elastic instead. In the photos above I pulled up the sleeves to 3/4 length, but they can be worn down to full length as well. I also stabilized and hand sewed my neckline ( below right pic) and hem. This technique gave both a smooth seamless finish instead of top stitching my delicate silk jersey.
Here’s a little more info about the Samantha Pattern: A couple of months ago, Sonia Estep Designs launched their own Patreon Subscription. This pdf pattern is part of their Patreon Exclusive Pattern Collection. What does that mean you ask? Well….every month SED puts out a NEW pattern for her Patreon members only. The subscription includes all kinds of other bonus content for members. Imagine logging onto your account and seeing all the content you’re interested in, and none of what you don’t. If you’d like to read more about it and see if membership is something you’d enjoy, click here. Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest “Victory Sew”!!
