The first thing that jumped out at me was that this dress came with the option for different cup sizes - A, B, C and D - Hooray!!!! I have always had issues with fitted dresses because my bust always comes up a larger size than my waist and hips (OK - this isn't a terrible problem to have - lol - but it's a pain when you want something to fit properly) - so having the option of cup size would be half the battle when it came to getting the shaping just right on the bodice.
The other things I like about the dress are the beautiful lines of the princess seams, the pretty pleats, and pockets!!! Gotta love a dress with pockets!!
From the measurements on the pattern I came in at a size 6 on my waist and hips (loving the US sizing lol), and a size 10 at the bust - Kennis the designer was so helpful in assisting everyone to get a great fit for their dresses, and we decided the best thing for me would be to go for a size 6 pattern with a D cup, but to grade the pattern out to the size 10 for the bust.
For my first go at the dress I decided to make a wearable muslin out of an old suit I was donated for upcycling - I loved the blush pink colour, and it had a lovely drape to it - this is the original suit and how I squeezed the pattern pieces onto the available fabric -
The dress comes with the option of a lined or unlined version - as the suit was lined I thought I may as well reuse the lining as well and I made the fully lined version of the dress.
After making the first version of the dress, a few ladies, including me, found the yoke to be a little wide and it gaped a bit, I also had some issues with my bra showing under my arm, so Kennis reworked the pattern to address these problems.
Now, I am a total fabric hoarder - but as I mostly sew for my kids I generally buy a meter here, and half a meter there - but a while back I fell in love with a Jennifer Paganelli print and bought 2 meters of it, just knowing one day I would make myself a dress with it!! I loved my first Marbella Dress so much I decided this would be the perfect thing to sew with my beautiful fabric!
The new version of the dress fitted perfectly!! I love the classic lines and boat neckline, and the invisible zip makes it so sleek!
The Marbella Dress comes in sizes 00-20 & A-D cups and is available now at 20% off (no code needed) - so head here to get your copy now for $12!! Kennis has worked very hard to make this a beautifully fitting dress - with advice in the pattern on how to get the best fit for your body! The instructions are clearly written with very helpful diagrams included to make it easy to follow and get great results.
There is also a giveaway for the pattern, which is open until 24th October - head here for your chance to win (if you already purchased the pattern, you will get a refund). TWO winners will be announced on Saturday 25th October!
Go an check out some of the other wonderful examples of this dress - they are all beautiful - and one shows an example of how great the dress looks when you use colour blocking!
Here is the rest of the blog tour schedule:
Wed, October 15:Ann from The Pattern Studio by 1 Puddle Lane
Lindsay from Design by Lindsay
Thursday, October 16:
Debbie from Stitch It Now
Jaime from Jaime Johnson
Monday, October 20:
Darcy from Ginger House Designs
Stacey from All Sewn Up by Stacey
Tuesday, October 21:
Diane Guess Post on Itch to Stitch
Ajaire from Call Ajaire
Wednesday, October 22:
Hannah from Hello Sunshine
Stacey you are so talented, love both these dresses, how clever to upcylce the suit and its lining. I can see the fine tuned changes to the pattern in your JP fabric, very clever re-designing by Kennis and fabulous sewing by you, amazing!! xx
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