Woop woop! First completed project of the new year!
I've been meaning to make a wrap dress for a while now... I intended to sew one up for the Wrapalong at the Curvy Sewing Collective, but I just couldn't pick a pattern and get my act in gear for the deadline. Finally, a New Year's sale at Muse patterns resulted in me having the Gillian wrap dress in my hands, ready for sewing (as well as the Jenna and Natalie patterns... #patternaddict).
I used some lovely deep purple Robert Kaufman Laguna jersey I bought from Imagine Gnats (affiliate link*). My grandmother would have stolen this make right off my body if she saw the color, her favorite. My fabric for the yokes, waist and neck bands is some black ponte I bought in Hong Kong. I guess colorblocking with black yokes is my thang these days? I ended up making the peplum blouse version because I didn't have enough of the purple for the full skirt.
My sewing notes:
- I love the yoke detail and shoulder gathering!! So cute.
- I cut my waist ties with the stretch so I could wrap them all the way around to the front (I like to use the knot/bow to hide any potential food babies).
- For some reason the bottom of the blouse seems insubstantial somehow, relative to the top. Like unbalanced in a way. Also, the spot at the end of the waistband, where the tie is, is a bit messy- my serger threads are showing. My thought for my next version is that maybe I'll lengthen the neckband to go down the edge of the skirt, too (at least on the side of the wrap that's on top) and sew it on last for a cleaner finish (after the top, waistband and skirt are all sewn together).
- I think perhaps next time I'll go down a size on top, shorten the bodice a bit, and go up a size on the skirt, especially if I make the dress version. There's quite a bit of extra fabric up top, and I worried that there's not enough at the bottom to keep me comfortable in the full dress version.
Those previous two bullets may sound like a bit of crabbiness with the pattern, but I still love it and definitely plan on making it again, with a few tweaks and size changes! And I am pretty pumped to make the other Muse patterns, too.
*This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a percentage of the sale if you make a purchase using this link.