Acres of Ruffle But Worth It

After watching the Week 1 of the Sewing Bee (2022) I was inspired to make a wrap dress and I really liked the look of Fibre Mood Charlotte. It looked similar to one that Annie made, although with a different sleeve. I chose a viscose challis lawn (from my shop Bornella Fabrics) with a bold print.

I made a straight size 12/40 and made no alterations to the pattern. I wouldn’t describe the bodice as fitted – it’s reasonably relaxed but not baggy. It is a true wrap dress, so there is a gap in the bodice side seam for the belt to go through and then go around your back and tie up to the other side. I wore the dress all day and at no point did the front gape or did I feel exposed. The pattern does suggest the option of adding a hidden snap fastener on the neckline if you need it. Also, there’s plenty of coverage on the legs too so even walking in the wind I felt very secure that I wasn’t about to flash my knickers.

The ruffle takes up A LOT of fabric – probably a metre or more – and when it came to hemming it was around 6 METRES of hem! Laborious but worth it. As always with Fibre Mood, the instructions are a little on the basic side but enough to get by with if you’ve got a few makes under your belt.

The only thing I’m not keen on after a day of wearing is the neck facing did pop out to the visible side a couple of times. A few discreet stitches will fix this problem so it’s not a deal breaker.

Overall, I’m really sold on this dress and would definitely recommend the pattern.

Happy sewing, Tanya xx

@bornellafabrics

www.bornellafabrics.co.uk