Royal Stella dress

Hello ladies and gents! 

It took me long enough to get back here. I hope all is well. I've not been sewing as much this year just yet but I have been getting to do more things for myself as is my desire. I bought this electronic dress pattern a long long time ago from Pattern Runway almost immediately after I saw it. I was in love! Those sleeves! I searched quite a bit to see what members of the online sewing community made using the pattern but didn't come across much. Can I just say that this dress is quite lovely, royal, astonishing and gorgeous! It is so feminine and breezy that would probably work on any figure and has quite charming features that catch the eye.

I made the dress up in plum/purple satin chiffon a polyester version rather than the silk. I went to the store and I literally could not tell the difference in the two so I opted for the one that won't hurt my pocket. I meticulously used 1 and 1//2 yards to do the dress version of the pattern with the asymmetrical hem. I cut the size 38 and graded to the 40 at the waist and hips. I realised after I didn't need to do this as the dress style is a bit generous in the waist and hip area. 

The positives are that I LovE the sleeves, the pleats, the binding at the waist, the hem line......I love all the design features, it's sooooooo me. The downside is mostly that this dress and this fabric was challenging to sew and took a bit more time than I usually like to dedicate towards an item. It taught me a bit of patience this one as I had to start and stop a few times. I am so glad I did not give up on it! I also had to do lining for the dress because of the lightweight fabric; I made a short version of the dress bodice and skirt for the lining and made darts in place of the pleats for it to sit flat. There was also some extra bagging to the back of the dress that I had to fix at the shoulders possibly due to my build. 

Halfway into construction I tried the dress and thought I looked a hot mess, thinking that the dress doesn't suit my long slim frame, though I now think it would work well on any figure. Now I'm looking forward to doing the variations. 

I am quite pleased that I now have a cute dress addition for my wardrobe and for church. For anyone thinking of making a Stella dress remember to chose the right fabric as recommended and used by the designer and don't get dismayed if there are few issues, the final product is beautiful!

God bless you all! xoxo