Dhurata Davies Jasmine Tee and Dress

I made this in a day - I was getting a bit fed up with it by the end as I decided to add the ruffle on the bottom and gathering is not my favourite task!

The pattern is easy to follow and although it only goes up to a 41" bust this is my high bust size so I chanced it for the toile.  It just goes over my bust - there are no fastenings - and there's enough ease that it fits me.

Apologies for the creases - I have ironed this during construction but it's a cheap cotton duvet cover and looks like one!

I think I will use a slightly heavier fabric next time; I particularly like the sample and a couple of versions I've seen on Instagram using stripes - this lends itself well to pattern or colour blocking.

The sleeves are very comfortable; I often find elastic cuffs irritating but the instructions suggest measuring around the widest part of the forearm, which worked well.

The only issue I have is that there seems to be a lot of fabric in the back. I do sometimes need to do a swayback adjustment so next time I might curve the seam or add darts.

This is really versatile and I think I'll try the short length/short sleeve version next.

One star off for the limited size range.

I’ve only made the top version of the Jasmine so far but it’s a pattern with quite a number of possible variations for the sleeves and overall length. Instead of the ubiquitous darts the front features Princess seams which gave me the opportunity to highlight them with fancy embroidery stitches! I was using a tiny gingham-type check cotton fabric so I thought it loaned itself to a slightly ‘folksy’ look. The sleeves are grown-on and the box pleat detail is all part of the clever construction which, again, I machine embroidered in a contrast colour. The ONLY reason I haven’t given this pattern 5 stars is because I found the bicep a little snug (this was partly because of the grown-on style which can sometimes restrict the wearer’s movement a little, depending a bit on fabric choice) whilst the rest of the UK 14 was a very good fit for me. I would suggest that you check your own bicep against the pattern before cutting-the side you write with is quite likely to be larger than the other so don’t panic if the measurements aren’t the same-I would suggest adding a little to the underarm seam rather than interfere with the pleat on the top, and don’t forget to add it to the front AND back! One other change I made was to gather the sleeves into a fixed cuff, which I embroidered, rather than an elasticated one. Dhurata gives very clear instructions and diagrams but I like that she also says if you know or use a better way of constructing something then go with that. The blouse would look pretty in a variety of fabrics but I think I’d keep to something not too stiff or bulky for the dress, a bit of drape will look nicer.