Amelie Dress – Untitled Thoughts

I absolutely fell in love with this pattern when I first saw it, particularly the back, so much so that I decided I wanted to make the exact version on the cover photo!  I thought the combination of striped blue and white cotton with the contrast pink buttons was just dreamy.

I made the knee-length, sleeveless, bra-friendly version.  There are two drafts of the bodice – to a B cup and a DD cup.  I chose the B cup which meant I cut a size 6 and then graded out to 6.5 at the waist.  I ended up having to lift the shoulders by 6cm to make the back fit me better so the neckline is sitting higher than I’d like but I can fix that on the pattern for next time.  The adjustment also meant that it ended up not being ‘bra friendly’ i.e. you could see my bra strap so I just wear it without one which works fine for me as the bodice is self lined.  I do know that since I made this the pattern designed has now put a video up on her website of how you can adjust the pattern pieces to make the part that’s supposed to cover your bra higher or lower.

There’s so many really pretty details in this pattern – obviously the back bodice is very flattering and unusual but I also love the deep V waist darts at the front of the bodice and the little skirt ‘corners’ that look particularly cool if you’re using a directional print/stripe and cut your pieces perpendicular to the main skirt pieces.   Even the patch pockets look great, even though I’m usually a fan of patch pockets but somehow on this dress they really work.

B: 39” W: 32” H:42” Height 5ft3”