Sew Over It Marguerite Dress

A lovely versatile dress pattern that's perfect for the summer as well as for autumn/winter worn with tights. I've already made three versions - two out of rayon and one out of a cotton sateen - and I will definitely use this pattern again.

The dress features some pretty details, like the gathering above and below the waistband which helps with shaping, the keyhole at the back, and little cuffs sewn on the grown-on sleeves. Understanding the instructions for sewing the cuffs may be a little tricky, but if you read it carefully and pay attention to the pictures in the instructions, you'll be fine. I omitted the pockets (unpopular decision, I know!), so I cannot comment on their construction. Otherwise the dress comes together easily and the instructions are easy to follow.

Fit-wise, similar to other sewists I have found the back to be very gapey. On my first version I simply took a chunk out of the centre-back seam, but on my other versions I amended it on the pattern. If you're interested in how I did that, you can check out this post on my blog where I explain it and talk about my other Marguerites as well. Also, when you're choosing your size, note that there are over 4 inches of ease at the bust. If you want it a little more fitted, like I did, go down a size for the bodice (this also helps with the gaping back). As I am quite short, I also shortened the skirt a bit. Talking about the skirt, I love that it is not simply a gathered rectangle, but that is is curved at the sides and that the gathering happens in the centre and not at the sides.

Overall a fab pattern!

According to the Sew Over It measurement chart, I fall between a size 8 and 10.  I’ve sewn a lot of Soi patterns now and know that I need to go with the 10 otherwise the back comes out a bit narrow for me in an 8, so I did the same with Marguerite.

I did an initial tissue fitting and it showed me that I needed to lengthen the bodice by two inches and also do a forward shoulder adjustment.  I could also tell I had too much room in the back but decided to leave it until the fabric fitting to be sure.  In the end I needed to take 1 and 3/8s of an inch off both centre back seams to achieve a nice fit.

I found the Marguerite instructions to be really clear and the diagrams which go alongside them were useful.  The only part that I struggled with slightly was the sleeve cuff insertion.  I didn’t pay enough attention to the diagrams and had to unpick and re-do one of the seams (my fault and not the instructions) and overall, I found it difficult to get the cuffs to stay in position once sewn.  I did a few ‘invisible’ stitches to try and get the cuff to sit in place over the sleeve, but it still seems to want to roll back so I may do a few more!  There is some gathering within the dress both above and below the waistband.  For a fairly easy technique, I always find it a bit of a challenge to get gathering to be even throughout the seam its going into and this dress was the same.  I unpicked and re-did mine in places but maybe that’s my perfectionism getting in the way!  I did a rolled hem because of my lightweight fabric.  Those points aside, the sewing was relatively straight forward but I would agree with Sew Over It when they say its an advanced beginner to immediate level pattern.  I would say you need a few other dresses under your belt before you attempt this one.

I wouldn’t expect any less from sew over it. This dress was a pleasure to sew and even better to wear. A couple of tricky moments included inserting the cuff and making sure the fabric is gathered in the right sections. Construction of pockets sounds weird at first but I think I had the best results with this method so I may stick to that in the future. Sizing is spot on so you can blindly  rely on the instructions. This won’t be my last version!

This is another great pdf pattern from Sew Over It, the style of the dress is just perfect for the summer and the boat-shaped neckline and floaty skirt means it’s lovely and cool. The gathers at the waistline either side of the waistband a very pretty and easy to do. The grown-on sleeves mean there’s no fiddly sleeve insertion/easing although the cuffs do require a little bit of concentration. I didn’t follow their method for the in-seam pockets as I have my own tried and tested method. The hem length was perfect for me as I don’t like to show my knees.

I bought the fabric on a trip to India last year, it was sold to me as a cotton but the way it felt, handled, ironed etc I think it’s actually a rayon which is one of my favourite fabrics to work with and has just the right drape for this pattern.

I cut a size 14, using the finished garment measurements to guide me and it fits very well. I used exactly the amount of fabric it said was needed for a 14 (2.5m of 140cm wide) although the print on my fabric was directional (I didn’t want sideways birds on my waistband!) so I couldn’t follow the suggested layplan exactly. If you were using a non directional print you might be able to get away with a bit less.

Overall a very satisfying make and pattern and I’ll definitely be making more.

Total sewing time (not including cutting out the pattern pieces and fabric): 6-7 hours