Victory Patterns Sofia Dress and Top

The hardest part about this pattern is deciding you're going to give the shirring a go. The pattern instructions provides a whole section on this technique and even a really useful troubleshooting section, packed with common small mistakes that can make a difference. This section is great, but equally can make you feel that the technique is complex and therefore needs a whole lot of brain power, when actually, it just needs a little bit of practice on some scrap fabric and you'll be off on your wildest shirring dreams. Tah dahhhhh!

I made the top version of the Sofia, with the bishop sleeve. There are quite a lot of variations in the pattern so lots of options to play around with. I will defiantly make the dress version soon with a potentially different sleeve. I used a lightweight, opaque viscose for this top, which I think just adds enough drape on the sleeves.

Finally, if you are purchasing this in the PDF form, you can select the bodice, skirt and sleeve option to print, which is great, as this means you don't have to print everything out at once.

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I absolutely loved learning a new skill.... shirring! I had never tried it before but discovered it was quite fun. The directions on the pattern are nice and clear. The fit, however, gave me fits.

I cut out a size 14, which fit my measurements, according the instructions. I tried it on in stages (HIGHLY recommended!) and so before I put on the straps and sleeves I realized the peplum looked like a tutu on me. I took in about a half inch on each side and ADDED TEN MORE ROWS OF SHIRRING! Yes, it was just too much fun... but the result was that the tent-looking top shrunk in a little and hugged my figure a little better. The other problem was that it looked like a crop top on me, so I added a wide lace on the bottom. I was pleased with the results.

If I were to make it again, I would use a more flowy fabric. I thought I was using a lightweight cotton but it was still a little too stiff. Linen could be fabulous!

All in all, this was a fun pattern but NOT for beginners. If you are confident about making adjustments then give this pattern a try.

I'd first seen the Sofia dress on one of the Foldline new pattern vlogs and immediately thought it would be ideal for my nephew's December wedding although I don't think I'll get to go now due to restrictions but never mind. I made my version in a beautiful Atelier Jupe viscose from Lamazi fabrics. There are several sleeve options with this pattern and also the option to add a sleeve piece to cove bra straps. This long sleeved version only has four pattern pieces, two identical sleeves, two identical top pieces, and two identical skirt pieces and pockets so you could theoretically wear the dress either way round. The instructions are very clear indeed and each step is well explained, there are also video tutorials. Unfortunately I REALLY struggled with the shirring despite the clear explanation and consulting multiple youtube videos hence the sleeve shirring is short 6 rows as I had completely lost the will to live by then. However I am pleased with the outward appearance of the finished dress (as long as no-one ever looks at the inside of the shirring) and will wear it to the wedding reception in autumn 2021.

This pattern definitely gives you bang for your buck. There are many options to choose from,  and mixing and matching the different sleeve and bodice/dress options will give you at least 9 Sofia versions. You can choose to sew up a midi-length dress, a peplum top or a cropped top. The sleeve variations include: bell sleeves with shoulder strap, cap sleeves, elbow-length sleeves and bishop sleeves. The front and back pattern pieces are exactly the same.
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I made two versions: the first is a peplum top with bell sleeves.

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The peplum version is made with a John Kaldor polyester crepe gifted by Minerva.

And the dress version is made with a self-dyed 100% Korean silk that  was dyed with Jacquard iDye (Turquoise).

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The instructions in this pattern are stellar. It was my first time shirring and the instructions are comprehensive and assumes zero knowledge which was great for my virgin attempt.

Love this pattern and I will make more versions. For more details about how I dyed the silk, and for more pics, please go to my blog: Geri In Stitches

There are lots of things about this pattern that I would never normally go for - midi length and shirring for a start. However listening to Kate (from The Foldline) rave about the pattern in one of her monthly pattern release round-ups I thought I might step outside my comfort zone and give it a go. And she wasn't wrong - this pattern is so flattering and a real corker!

For the dress, I made a straight size 12 and only made 2 adjustments. The first was a sloped shoulder adjustment, where I repositioned the shoulder strap placement at the front. And the second was to cut off about 8 inches from the hem for the dress version, as I'm short.

For the top I adjusted for sloped shoulder and also added a tie at the neck to make sure it wouldn't slip. The pattern doesn't have a version with long sleeves with shoulder strap (to cover your bra) but it was an easy hack.

Victory patterns have some good resources on their blog, particularly about shirring technique, which meant I got a really neat finish.

I used a viscose crepe which has a mind of its own when cutting out but actually sewed up very well. A really floaty fabric will work well with this dress, particularly the bell sleeves (sleeve option 4).

Happy sewing!

Tanya x

@broomanator