Jennifer Lauren Asteria Dress

Recently the urge to make myself a pretty dress had become a bit of an itch that I needed to scratch. Dresses are what originally kick-started my sewing journey and, however much I've enjoyed my recent experimental projects, there's nothing like a new favourite dress to put a smile on my face. So when Jennifer Lauren released the Asteria dress it was just begging for me to make it.

The Asteria dress pattern was always going to appeal to me - it has a hint of vintage style but will also easily fit into my daily life.

The Asteria is a short-sleeved dress with a lovely square neckline. It's semi-fitted from the bust down, shaped with ties at the natural waist. There's an optional collar, as well as the possibility to make a button down bodice, or one cut on the fold (as I did). The full skirt is shaped with box pleats and has generously-sized side seam pockets. The pattern also has separate bodice pieces for cup sizes A to D.

I think one of the nice things about the Asteria is that it has no fastenings so it's a fairly simple project to sew. Often the thing that new sewists fear is inserting zips or making buttonholes, and this pattern gives you the ability to make a fairly impressive looking dress whilst not having to tackle those processes that can initially seem a bit "scary" (although, there's really nothing to be afraid of about them!).

The fact that the Asteria has more ease than normal through the waist and is shaped with ties also means that it's more comfy than dresses of this style can sometimes be. I love wearing my other waisted dresses, but they can occasionally feel a bit tight on particularly hot days (or after a big meal!), but with the Asteria you could have a very similar look but just loosen off the waist ties a bit if you wanted to.

As with other Jennifer Lauren patterns I've made in the past, the instructions for the Asteria are very thorough and clear throughout. It includes extra little tips to make the process easier, such as advising you to press the sleeve hem up and then unfold it again before sewing the sleeve seam so you have lines there ready for when you get to the hemming. I tend to do this anyway (it's definitely easier to press a hem on a flat pattern piece than on a tube of fabric), but I haven't seen many patterns recommend this step.

In terms of sizing, I made a 14 and used the A cup bodice. My measurements are currently B 38", W 32", H 42" and my full bust/under bust difference puts me at the top of the A cup range. The 14 A cup is technically meant to be for a slightly smaller bust measurement than mine, but from the finished garment measurements I was pretty sure that would be the best option for me. I made a bodice toile to check and thankfully it looked pretty good! I just needed to lengthen the bodice by 1", and I also lengthened the skirt by 2" (I'm about 5'9").

The fabric that I used is a textured cotton from Seasalt a couple of years ago. It's a really gorgeous quality and I was lucky enough to find a five metre piece of it in one of their outlet shops for a particularly bargainous price (I can't remember exactly what it was now, but I think it was something around about £25). Obviously I didn't need five metres for this dress, so my mum is now looking forward to me making something for her with the leftovers!

All in all, I love my Asteria dress! It was a real joy to sew, and is a lovely dress to wear. It's possibly slightly overdress for mooching about my flat in lockdown, but it's nice to feel fancy every now and then isn't it?! It probably won't surprise you to know that I'm keeping my eye out for some bright and colourful fabric to make another version. Anyone got any suggestions to tempt me?!