Monday 6 April 2015

Colette Moneta Dress

I don't know about you, but personally I think that weekends like Easter, which generally revolve around large amounts of not-especially-healthy food, are best enjoyed wearing clothes of the secret pyjama variety. Luckily for me, I finished this dress, my first Colette Moneta, just in time for this year's chocolate feast!


I've been meaning to make a Moneta since the pattern was first released, and I'm really glad that I finally got around to it. It was a great, and fairly speedy, project to make and the finished dress is so lovely and comfy to wear. 

As many people have said before me, the pattern is really well drafted and the instructions are excellent. When I first started sewing with knits, I thought I'd play it safe and stick to t-shirts before I branched out into dresses, but I think that I should have given Moneta a go before. The instructions are so detailed that I think it'd be totally achievable for a knit newbie - and a dress does seem more impressive than a t-shirt doesn't it?


I sewed the dress up exactly according to the instructions and everything worked nicely. I've read some people saying that they don't like the fact that the neckline is just turned under and stitched, but I think it's fine and I always think that anything stitched with a twin needle looks quite professional anyway. I might try following one of the methods in the recent Colette tutorial on binding knit edges for a future Moneta (you know there'll be more of them!) though, just for a bit of variation if nothing else.


The only part of the sewing process that I had any trouble with was gathering the skirt, and that was just because it was physically difficult to get my clear elastic to stretch far enough rather than being anything to do with the actual sewing. I did manage it though, and it got easier as I went round the skirt, so it wouldn't be anything to put me off making another Moneta. 


In terms of size, I used a medium at the bust and graded out to a large at the waist and hips. I also added 1.5 inches to the bodice length (a standard adjustment for me), and another 1.5 inches to the skirt - which has left it just slightly above knee length on me (I'm about 5 ft 9"). 

I'm pretty happy with the fit. It did initially gape slightly at the front neckline, but I think I might have just stretched it slightly when I was top-stitching the neckline down because a good steam seems to have made a big difference. Steaming also made a massive improvement to the hem - it was really wavy when I'd just sewn it, but it's nice and neat now.


I should probably have apologised before now for the fabric and the fact that all the tiny dots may be doing weird things to your eyes. Everything looks fine on my computer screen at the moment, but if the photos are slightly smaller the pattern does stop looking like dots and starts just looking like one big distorted mess. So sorry if that's what you're seeing!

The fabric is a cotton and spandex jersey from my fabrics. I got it when it was half price and they don't seem to have any now, but they do have lots of other pretty spotty jerseys. As I'd got the jersey for a good price, I was happy to use this as a test version because I knew I wouldn't be heartbroken if it didn't work out quite right. Luckily for me, that's not a problem I have to worry about, and I'm really happy with my Moneta.


I'll leave you with this picture of me trying, and failing, to look all nonchalant and model-like whilst sitting on a gate. In reality, I was really just desperately trying not to fall off backwards. One of these days I'll get better at posing for photos....

I'm now off to enjoy the tail end of my long weekend with chocolate and plotting of future Monetas. I hope you've had a Happy Easter!

19 comments:

  1. It's lovely! And blue with blue spots? Just perfect for you!

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    1. Thank you! Blue and spots are always a winning combination as far as I'm concerned!

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  2. What a lovely dress! I have also had the pattern for ages, I keep meaning to make it especially when I see lovely versions like yours.

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    1. Thank you! I was the same - the pattern had been sitting waiting to be used for ages. I'd definitely recommend giving it a try!

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  3. Really pretty, and it suits you so much. I found the waist tricky I thought you needed 3 hands! I did bind my neck and liked it.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, 3 hands would definitely have been helpful for gathering the waist!

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  4. I think you look particularly model like - especially in the last couple of photos. You can see you are really chuffed with your dress and so you should be - it's a really lovely version. I have made one Moneta but really struggled with the clear elastic. I did the little collar which crosses at that back and I think ghost style is rather sweet.

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    1. Thank you - I generally just feel like a bit of an idiot when posing for photos so it's a miracle that any turn out OK! I'd definitely like to try one of the collared versions of Moneta at some point too.

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  5. The pictures are great and so is your dress! The fabric was a great choice, the color really does it for you :) Great job! :)

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    1. Thank you! I really love the colour too, and it seems great for this time of year!

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  6. What a gorgeous dress, it's the perfect combination of stylish and comfortable. I love the elegant scoop of the back neckline. A Moneta or Lady Skater is on my (very long!) to do list.

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    1. Thank you Jo! I also have the Lady Skater on my (also very long!) to do list - I think the success of my Moneta could prompt me to try it soon!

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  7. Really lovely. The neckline is a great shape and I am living the gathered skirt. I have looked at this pattern lots but sadly for me I do not have the bust to fill it! Looks fabulous on you though. Happy Easter.

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    1. Thanks Louise! I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Hope you had a happy Easter too!

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  8. Georgous dress, Ruth! And I'm impressed that you managed to sew the clear elastic into the waist. I didn't manage because it just didn't want to stretch far enough. So went for normal elastic in the end. Did you add pockets to your dress? I thought it looks like it in a few photos :) love your necklace by the way.

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    1. Haha I just saw on your first photo that there are indeed pockets. Must have been blind. Do they stay inside? Mine tend to poke out.

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    2. Thank you! I did have a bit of a battle to get the clear elastic into the waist but I got there in the end! I've worn it a couple of times already and haven't had any trouble with the pockets poking out so far - maybe it depends exactly what fabric you use? I love this necklace too - it was a present from my sister and it goes with so many things!

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  9. I love the color, it really suits you :) I find posing for photos hard too, I feel all weird and tend to revert to one or two poses/expressions then look at the photos later like why are they so boring? Haha

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    1. Thank you! I know exactly what you mean about posing for photos - I either think they look boring or just a bit weird if I try to do something different!

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