Experimental Space Rosalee Dress

I recently made (and tested) the Rosalee dress for Experimental Space- a lovely summery maxi-dress with a waistband, deep deep pockets and a cut-out back details. This is a lovely summer dress, the shape of the bodice gives me a real Grecian vibe. I graded between sizes- an Ava top, Ava-Bea at the waist and then graded out to a Cara at the hips (which was a bit unnecessary as it's pretty room there- I would just make a Bea for the hips next time). The instructions were generally very good, particularly the burrito method for the bodice facings as it came out lovely and was easy to follow. I also really liked the height-lines for the skirt. As a 5'2" person this was very helpful and prevented me from making a massive skirt I then had to shorten. I comfortably made my dress out of 3m of lovely Seasalt cotton voile. I did make a small narrow shoulder adjustment at the back and shortened the back straps a bit (to help counter a swayback) but these are standard adjustments for me. the only thing I didn't love was the zipper insertion method (personal preference) as I tend to prefer sewing my zipper in first before the rest of the seam.

This has made a lovely addition to my summer wardrobe and I've had a few compliments wearing it, which is always positive! For more pictures- including a view of the lovely back, see my Instagram page @goingtoneedstitches

I have made two of these beautiful dresses, they are so comfortable and flattering to wear! One maxi and the other a midi length - the maxi makes a lovely holiday dress, or evening dress if made in a suitable fabric. The midi length was lovely to wear in the hot weather!

This is the 3rd of Andrea's patterns I've made now and there is always something interesting on each one and a new technique to learn. I needed to do a Full Bust adjustment because my high bust / full bust are 3.5in different.

This was the first time I had used the Burrito Method and the images and instructions are fantastic, really clear and easy to follow. I also love that this could be made in Jersey..... there will be more of these in my wardrobe for sure.

This is such a lovely maxi dress and there are so many lovely details within it that it was a pleasure to sew together.

It has a cute back cut out detail that covers your bra strap, super deep pockets and a swishy panelled skirt finished with French seams. I made my version in a viscose and it suited the pattern perfectly.

The instructions are really clear with lots of excellent diagrams for every step. This really helped me as I'd say I fall into the category of an ambitious beginner so I still need to check the finer details and love a good diagram as I'm much more of a visual learner. I'd definitely recommend it!

There are a few more pictures on my Instagram

@whatsophiesewed