Happy Sunday Everyone,
I love a quick and easy knit dress, so when I saw that the free Citrus Dress by Mood Fabrics was the pattern pick for the #sewyourview challenge on Instagram, I decided to join in the fun. If you didn’t know, the #sewyourview Instagram challenge is a monthly challenge created by Monica Teteh of ThatssewMonica. She created this challenge to bring the sewing community together to sew and share the same pattern for the month. I’ve sewn several of the challenge makes and you can check some of them out on my #sewyourview playlist.
Pattern Details
The Citrus Dress is a pdf pattern designed for heavier weight knits. There were only thirty pages to tape together; great for a digital pattern. It’s available in sizes 0/2- 28/30 for bust sizes of 32.5-58.5 inches, waists of 24.5-49.5 inches, and hips of 34.5-63 inches. There are only five pattern pieces including a front, back, sleeves, neckband and button band.
Sewing and Alterations
I sewed a a size 4/6 at the bust and graded out to a size 8/10. I also shortened the waistline by 5/8 inches. The original fabric for this style used a wool knit and I opted for stiffer ponte knit fabric. As a result , the neckline was quite small for me. I had to increase the neckline opening by 1.25″ to fit the dress over my head. I also lengthened the neckband to 16 inches from its original 12.5 inch length by measuring the circumference of the new neck opening and multiplying that measurement by 70 percent. (New circumference after alterations was 22 inches x .70 = 15.4 rounded to 16 to account for the 1/2 seam allowance).
In order to give this pattern a bit more edge and to bring out the design of the button placket, I chose to add a few faux leather accents. I went through my fabric scraps and decided to use left-over remnants from the Eloise Jacket. I thought it was a perfect contrast to the black and white print of my main fabric, so I decide to use it as the button band/front stripe. I omitted the buttons from the original pattern and decided to add matching sleeve cuffs to continue the style. I love how leather always takes a garment up to a new level!
Check out my latest YouTube video for even more details of my design changes and fitting process. Mood Citrus Dress Pattern Review
Styling
For this dress, I decided to go for a chic but office sexy vibe. I added my favorite black tights with some cute tie-up shoes from Target that I’ve had in my closet for years. I then added my Eloise Jacket from The Pattern Preacher to give it a more elevated polish. Finally, I added some of my favorite silver jewelry to complete the look.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a quick and easy pattern, head over to the Citrus Dress Post on the Mood Fabrics blog to pick up a copy for yourself. You can also see a great tutorial on how to sew this entire dress by the October #sewyourview guest host, Johanna of SoVeryJo, on her YouTube channel. She even has a bonus tutorial on how to make Gucci inspired version with puffy sleeves. Be sure to check her out too!
Until next time,
Happy Sewing,
Crystal
I'd love to know what you think!