Amelia's Lady McElroy Pauline Dress

Hi, I’m Amelia from @SewAmelia and I am sharing one of my recent makes, the Pauline Dress by Closet Core Patterns. 

When this dress first came out I knew that I wanted to make it. I have this thing for open back dresses and puffed sleeves and the fact that this pattern combines both those things made it definite ‘must-sew’! The only problem was finding the perfect fabric. 

When I saw this season’s beautiful Lady McElroy fabrics, I knew they would be perfect for the Pauline Dress. Sew Me Sunshine kindly gifted me the ‘Diamond Floral’ cotton lawn and I was so excited to finally start sewing the dress. 

The only thing about the pattern I wasn’t sure about was the first skirt panel. It is quite fitted over the hips and I prefer a looser fit over that area. So I decided to turn the skirt into a tiered, gathered skirt instead. Having decided on the pattern adjustments, I needed to work out what size to make. Since I was making a gathered skirt, the fit over the hips was more forgiving, so I was able to make a straight size 10 for the bodice, no grading necessary – hooray! 

Sewing the pattern up was such a joy. The bodice construction is a little more complex with the open back design, but Closet Core instructions are clear and well-illustrated which made the sewing process a real pleasure. The fabric was also so lovely to work with. I really enjoy sewing with Lady McElroy cotton lawns. They are so stable, and the fabric has just the right amount of body to hold the pleats in the bodice, as well as the puff in the sleeves. 

When it came to attaching the skirt, I took the finished waist measurement for the size 10 bodice and added 25%. I cut two of these panels in order to make a nice, full, gathered skirt. I then repeated the process to create a second tier. I decided to make the length just below my knees for a fun, summery dress. 

I absolutely love my finished dress. The flowers on the fabric are so bright and colourful against the navy background and the cotton lawn is lovely and light to wear in the sunshine. I love the open backed bodice and the square neckline adds such visual interest to the dress. It is definitely my new favourite dress!