Beautiful simplicity!

I bought the Sorrel dress pattern in December 2018 as part of Jennifer Lauren’s kickstarter campaign and I’m absolutely furious with myself for taking so long to make it! It’s a versatile pattern that suits a wide range of fabrics and it is really easy and enjoyable to sew.

I used a beautiful needlecord for my version of the dress. It’s very lightweight and has good drape, but I think a more medium weight fabric would work just as well, giving the dress more structure instead of a softer look. I chose to use snaps instead of buttons because the antique copper looked so perfect with my fabric, but I think either method of fastening would look amazing!

The instructions are excellent and each step was explained clearly with good diagrams. What I absolutely love about Jennifer Lauren’s patterns are the different cup sizes. This enables you to get a really good fit without having to make any adjustments, which is fantastic!

After looking carefully at the finished garment measurements I opted to make the size 8 with the C cup bodice. Sadly I can only dream of being a C cup, but this combination was closest to my measurements and I think the finished garment fits really beautifully.

I opted for the grown-on button placket and I chose to top-stitch all the way around the edge when this was suggested in the instructions. The only thing I would do slightly differently next time is wait until the dress was hemmed before adding the top-stitching, because I found it made my front corners a little untidy when I turned them through.

I’m absolutely delighted with the finished dress – it’s the perfect combination of pattern and fabric and it fits me so well! Although I’m annoyed I waited so long to add a Sorrel dress to my wardrobe, I’m delighted that I have such a great pattern in my stash ready for my next version!