Hello there! It's been a while since I last posted, but I've got what I think is a good project to share to break the silence. It's the Homer + Howells Ingrid dress - a pattern that I liked as soon as I saw it, and have now finally sewn for myself.
The Ingrid is a gathered panel dress with asymmetric seams and a centre front bust tuck. It comes with options for a midi or mini length dress or a top, and also has the choice of a classic tee sleeve or gathered cuff sleeve. I used the midi length and tee sleeve.
The pattern is drafted for bust sizes from 31½" to 48⅞" and hip sizes from 34¼ to 52".
Ingrid appealed to me because the asymmetric seam lines make it a bit different from the (many!) other dress patterns that I've made.
This is the first time that I've made a Homer + Howells pattern, and I wasn't disappointed. I bought the printed pattern and the envelope, instruction booklet and printed pattern are all really good quality, which is always a nice start!
Sewing the dress was no trouble at all - the instructions have just the right level of detail and are easy to understand. It's the kind of pattern where you do need to keep track of which piece is which, and make sure that you cut everything out right, but there's clear information about that on the pattern pieces so as long as you follow that you should be fine.
I would say it's a slightly more time-consuming dress to make than some others because you have to sew the two front and two back panel pieces all separately rather than making one bodice and attaching it to one skirt, but it's still not particularly complicated.
It's worth taking time to make sure the bust tuck lines up across the centre front seam - I actually hand basted the two front pieces together across the tuck, then sewed the seam in two stages - first going from the bust tuck up to the neckline and then from the bust tuck down toward the waist.
The sizing seams good - it's intended to be a relaxed fit, and it achieves that without feeling baggy and shapeless. I made a straight size 14 (which is what is recommended for my current measurements) with no alterations, and I'm very happy with the fit. It's a really comfy dress to wear.
The fabric that I used is a lovely needlecord that I bought from Sew Much Moor. These photos aren't entirely doing it justice - the drab January weather is making the colour less saturated than it is in real life. The photos on the Sew Much Moor website are a much better reflection of it.
I really enjoyed sewing my Ingrid dress, and I'm happy with how it turned out. I don't think it'll necessarily be a pattern that I make over and over again - I tend to do that more with simpler dress styles that look different depending on the fabric you use, whereas the unique design of Ingrid makes the dress itself stand out (if that makes sense?!). I think a summery version in chambray would be nice though, so something along those lines may find its way onto my sewing table!
