Very clever construction

This is a fabulous dress and a really clever pattern, which would be suitable for a more intermediate sewist.

I used some viscose/cotton twill for my Valerie, which I bought from Seasalt. I really do recommend keeping an eye on their fabric sales – I got 3m of this beauty, which is lovely quality, for just under £20!

This is the second Forget Me Not pattern I have used and once again I was very impressed with the quality of instructions. Everything is very well laid out in the booklet with helpful diagrams. When I did find myself momentarily scratching my head at one of the steps, there was a fantastic series of short video clips to support the written instructions on their website – perfect!

I made the size 34 dress with the long sleeve variation. The fit is pretty much perfect with no alterations, but I think next time I would shorten the sleeves by about 1.5″. It does recommend checking the sleeve length during construction, but by this point I had already sewn the bound placket and gathers, so I couldn’t really make an adjustment.

I’ve worn the dress a couple of times now and I really love it! It’s a very flattering shape and is also comfortable to wear. The pockets look great and are nice and roomy and I love the pretty sleeve details. The way the facing is finished at the zip is very slick and it was so nice to learn a new technique while making the dress. I’m thinking of making the short sleeved version next in a pretty summer print ready for the warm weather!