Clever drafting and interesting details

I bought the Kitty dress some time ago and I’m so pleased I finally got around to sewing it! The main features that drew me to Kitty were the adorable Peter Pan collar, the unusual elbow darts and the fascinating bust dart feature. I made the Rochester dress by Maven last year, so I knew I wase in for a pattern drafting treat!

Construction was an absolute pleasure and Mrs Maven’s attention to detail is fabulous. Little things like the under collar being drafted slightly smaller than the top collar to ensure it rolls under when pressed make sewing such a pleasure. I was also really impressed with the way the pockets are drafted to allow you to overlock around the edge of them and the side-seam in one fell swoop, which gives such a tidy finish.

I used 100% linen for my dress and it works really well for the pattern. I cut a straight size 10 and I think the dress fits well overall, but the bust dart sits a good 1.5″ underneath my bust apex. In the sample photos of the beautiful pink version, that dart is sitting much, much higher up – right on the fullest part of the model’s bust. I am lacking significantly in the boobage department, which is probably why – if I make the dress again I will see if it is possible to raise the dart so it sits higher up.

I’m really pleased with my finished dress and I think it’s a pattern I will sew again – I’d like to make a version with short sleeves and maybe another winter Kitty in a nice wool blend. If you would like to see more photos of my finished dress including some close-ups of that lovely collar and gathered sleeve head, I have written a blog post and you can find it here.