I am so ready for the end of cold winter days and have started making and planning out my spring and summer wardrobe. To this end, I decided to sew my first spring dress using this gorgeous Lady McElroy Marlie Salon Spot Cotton Lawn Fabric. I used the newly released Allison Tent Dress sewing pattern by Jasmine Desiree Patterns to bring my vision to life.
Fabric Details
When I saw the print on this fabric, I knew it was perfect for me. I love the faces of the beautiful ladies on this design which feature several ways I enjoy styling my hair. There are pictures of ladies wearing curly afros, updo buns, long straight styles and super-cute bobs. Additionally, the base of the print is in my favorite color, blue and has tiny polka dots that you can see up close to the print but are less discernible from further distances. It washed well with no fading and was easy to manipulate and press during construction. This lightweight lawn fabric is completely opaque with nice body and was perfect for sewing this style of dress.
Pattern Details
The Allison Tent Dress is a loose-fitting dress designed for light to mid-weight woven fabrics. The defining features of the pattern are the large ruffled hem, gathered sleeve flounce, v-neckline and sewn tucks at the shoulder. The suggested fabrics include chambray, linen, Neoprene, rayon challis, brocade, sateen, satin, crepe and denim. This pattern is available in sizes XS-5X and fits bust measurements of 29 inches to 59 inches, waists of 22 3/8 inches to 46 inches, and hips of 40 inches to 56 inches.
Sewing Details and Pattern Changes
The difficult rating for this pattern is described as advanced beginner and I totally agree with this designation. There are only a few pattern pieces including a front, back, pocket, sleeve, sleeve flounce, hem flounce and neckline facings. Based upon my measurements, I sewed a size small for the bust area and graded out to size medium for the waist and hips. I also shortened the pattern by 1.5 inches for my 5’1” inch height.
The printed fabric design is directional and great care should be taken when cutting out the pieces. While cutting out my dress, I accidentally cut out one side of the bottom hem with the faces going in the wrong direction. The ladies’ heads were facing sideways! Fortunately, I had enough fabric to piece the bottom flounce in the correct direction. In the end, my bottom flounce was a little wider than the original flounce width, but and I am so happy with the result. The extra width adds even more body to the flouncy bottom hem and I was even able to use the miscut fabric piece to make a fabric belt that I can wear on days when I want to cinch in the waistline of my dress.
Final Thoughts
The Lady McElroy Marlie Cotton Lawn fabric in this salon print is gorgeous and I think you’ll enjoy anything you make with it. It is soft and comfy to wear and will look great as a dress, shirt or any other lightly structured design. I love how it turned out in this Allison Tent Dress and I know I’ll wear it often this spring and summer.
Check out my YouTube video Tutorial of this cute dress for spring for more details and twirls.
Until next time,
Happy Sewing!
Crystal
I'd love to know what you think!