Well isn’t this the cutest dress you’ve ever seen! I’m a 26-year-old woman that feels like a 5-year-old wearing this and I LOVE IT! I’ve been wanting to sew a buffet dress since watching The Great British Sewing Bee, so I had the idea of making a comfy and cute beach style dress!

Choosing the pattern

I’ve always wanted to sew a pattern by Helen’s Closet and then I came across their March Dress sewing pattern that felt fitting for this project! The March dress is a retro-style pattern that features big sleeves, a voluminous skirt and stylish bodice panels. I knew instantly this was the perfect pattern to hack into what I envisioned.

Choosing the fabric

If you watched my latest YouTube Video on my Spring Fabrics Haul, you would know I picked up these two, stunning cotton lawns. They feature tiny floral illustration all over and I bought them in both colourways as I knew this would be great for colour blocking. The fabric itself is lightweight but has a little more structure so it holds gathers beautifully and the shape in the sleeve. I really love sewing with cotton it’s probably the most beginner-friendly fabric there is. So when I’m hacking a pattern or experimenting with shapes, it’s my go-to because I know it won’t cause me any extra hassle!

Construction

First of all, the pattern and instructions are beautifully made, I really love how they illustrate the steps and found it easy to read. I didn’t end up using the instructions, until I got to the hem on the sleeves, but that was made very digestable and easy to understand! I ended up sewing the smallest size (0) because it’s such a voluminous dress, I wanted to adjust the bodice to be slightly more fitted.

I hacked the front of the bodice to have a deep-v neckline and the back to have to separate panels that can tie together with straps. I effectively made separate front and back panels that are lined, which allowed me to incorporate the pom-pom into the seams and kept the necklines neat. The sleeves are the same as the pattern and the skirt I just shortened and then added a fun ruffled hem detail. I love an open back so am very pleased with how that looks especially as I have big sleeves and a big skirt, an open back gives you an extra glimpse of skin.

I’m over the moon at how fun this dress turned out to be, especially as when sewing I did doubt myself thinking I would look like a clown! I love the different levels of colour blocking – it makes the whole dress feel playful and something to be spun around in!