A lovely dress, but has sizing issues

The Mae dress is an oversized pull dress with a relaxed fit, sizes XS -XXXL

On seeing the pattern, I immediately fell in love with the roomy and relaxed fit of the dress, along with the contemporary styling. I live in a warm climate and it seemed perfect to wear on hot days and so comfortable when travelling. I loved the puffed sleeve, and it also has pockets, always a winner!

I must admit that although the dress in generally easy to make, I did find the neckline challenging!

The sizing on the pattern goes from a XS to XXXL. However, I found that the sizing is completely wrong on this pattern and is far from oversized. It states :

Ease has been added to the width measurements (in addition to the exact body measurements) for a more comfortable fit. Mae is designed to be oversized. Not terribly keen on oversized items? Feel free to go a size smaller.

I therefore decided to cut out a medium as I am a U.K. size 10-12 (US 8-10). When about to cut out the dress it seemed too small, but because it had been advised that the dress was oversized, I decided to proceed against my better judgement.

The dress came out far too small, even though I added extra seam allowances. I could not fully overlap the neckline as it would not have fitted across my bust. I was so disappointed that I made a further dress immediately.

To make my first dress I used a remnant of cotton shirting, as the pattern recommends a fluid drape. For my second dress, I used a poly cotton twill with a firmer drape which it recommends for a statement sleeve, which I  ust say that I much preferred.

For my second dress, I chose to make the XXL (3 sizes up) which I think gives the look of the dress illustrated on my size U.K. 10-12 frame. The problem is that if you are larger than a U.K. 14  (16 pattern size) US 12, then this pattern will be too small if you are looking for a dress that looks similar to the model in the photos.

The pockets are set far too high, and felt uncomfortable to use. For my second dress I set the pockets down nearly 4” lower, fixing the top of the pocket to where it should have finished. This proved to be just right.

I also chose to add a little length to the sleeve on my second dress as I wanted to cover more of my arms.

In both dresses, I also chose to add an extra 6” to the length as I prefer my knees to be covered. I am 5’1” tall.

I found it difficult to obtain a neat machined top stitch on the neckline, and so preferred to hand sew this in place.

Finally it was suggested that the dress would take 2.85 metres of fabric to make. However, my 60” wide cotton only used 1.50 metres to make both of the dresses.

I would sew this dress again in a linen or patterned cotton fabric such as an African wax print, which I think would look fabulous. I had fabric left over from the second dress as I had already purchased the recommended quantity of fabric. I have therefore already cut out a shirt version of this dress that I am due to make shortly. I have actually cut this out in size XXXL to see how it looks.

I do love this pattern and styling. However, Fibre Mood definitely need to look at the sizing so that ladies who are a larger size are not disappointed.