Terrace Dress, Kaftan Style

I picked up a cotton print last year when my local Fabricland was having a massive moving sale. I have been undecided about which pattern to match it with, but as summer is waning I thought I'd better get a move on!

The print is quite strong, and I wanted to really highlight the graphic feel of it, so finally decided on using the Terrace Dress by Liesl & Co, a dress I've made before with success in large prints.

This time though, I changed it up a little, again. Because it's a very light summer weight cotton, I thought I'd go with the midi/kaftan style that is so trendy right now. I love how the Terrace fits in the bodice so just extended it to mid-calf, and added a slit to the knee on either side seam. I used the plain tie sash from the pattern, and it all worked even better than I'd hoped.

The Terrace is a simple pattern; cut-on sleeve, bias facing at the neck, and turned under sleeve and bottom hem. The fit is perfect for me -- I didn't have to narrow the neckline on this like I usually do with most patterns, and grading out a bit from bodice to hips results in a great fit.

Like with my other two versions, I raised the pocket placement by 2" in order to have the side seam pockets in the right place. And the main alteration in this one was to sew the side slits before folding up a 1" hem. It's a light cotton so I may have to wear a slip on sunny days, but I really like the effect with this graphic print.

And of course, a matching mask is the accessory du jour! (I use the Dhurata Davies free pattern)

A Sushi Cat Dress for the Literary Sewing Circle

I've made my project for the Literary Sewing Circle! I had this one in mind all along, but wasn't sure if it was actually going to work out or just look TOO over the top ;)

I like it! I was inspired by Ruth and Oliver's trip to "The Liver", when they visit Arigato Sushi to get some help deciphering the letters that were tucked into Nao's lunchbox. Also by the presence of both Pesto and Chibi in both Ruth and Nao's lives, cats who are important to them.

My favourite motif

I bought this Michael Miller Katamaki quilting cotton at the thrift store quite a while ago. There was a 3m. piece of it, and it was so cute I couldn't pass it up. Because the print is so huge, I needed a really simple design with not many seams at all to avoid excessive pattern matching woes.


I found the perfect pattern when I made my first Liesl & Co Terrace Dress earlier this year. This pattern is simple, an a-line shift with pockets and sleeve variations. I loved the way it fit me the first time I made it -- the shape of it is just right. So this time I made it longer (just below knee length) and added the longer sleeve option.

I had a bit of fuss over the sleeves, though. First I tried it with just the cut on dropped sleeve; it looked okay but the proportions didn't seem quite right. So I cut the longer sleeve; even with shortening it, it came almost to my wrist. It was too long and overwhelming. I just kept folding it under and testing until I came to the right length, about two inches below my elbow. At this length the sleeve fits the style of the dress and the proportions are right. I really like it.

I made the simple sash belt with this version, both because a larger one would have pattern clashed, and also because I was running out of fabric. I was able to squeeze this sash in along the edges of fabric I had left, and I have just a few small chunks of "Katamaki" left now. I'm going to repurpose them for some little pouches, since I can't bear to waste any of this entertaining fabric.

Even up to finishing it, I had in mind that if it turned out to be too overwhelming I could just cut it up for quilting or something like that. But as it turns out, once I got the length of both dress and sleeve right, and put it together with shoes and the perfect necklace, I really love it.

And of course, with a print like this, I had to find the perfect photo location. I went down to the General Store, home of Mr. Kim's Sushi & Rolls. (I love their veg sushi!)

They kindly gave me permission to take photos in the store. It's a fun place, a mix of convenience store, sushi bar, and gift shop. Their Korean and Japanese bowls, cups and decorative goods are lovely -- here I am admiring a tea tin. They also sell pretty chopsticks so I had to buy some to match my dress while eating sushi.

I was really pleased with this dress, and also by finishing off a photo session with some delicious avocado-cucumber sushi. What could be better? Well, probably not being so distracted looking over your photos that you put a huge blob of wasabi on one piece of sushi and then pop it down...just saying. Couldn't see much for a minute with my eyes watering, haha!

I definitely recommend this pattern! I've made it twice now and love both dresses. It's an easy sew, with nice finishing, and it is great for prints. Just like in my last version, though, I did raise the pocket placement by over 2". So check that before you sew any pieces down! Otherwise, excellent and reliable pattern. I love it.

If you've made your project already, don't forget to link it up in our final Literary Sewing Circle post!

Terrace Dress in Rainforest Print

I believe that this Terrace Dress had the fastest rate of completion of anything I've ever made! And by that I mean that from clicking on 'order' at Liesl & Co during their summer sale, through downloading, printing, assembling, tracing, cutting and sewing, all the way to wearing it for these pictures, was one week. I usually let patterns marinate in my stash for much longer than that before getting to them!

But I had this thrifted cotton sateen fabric in the pile of plans for this month, originally with a different pattern. I decided to change patterns, as the large scale print of this fabric really needed as few seams as possible, and definitely not a centre front seam like my original choice had. So I settled on the Terrace which was fortunately on sale, since none of my 500 current patterns seemed just right! I just had to use this fabric right away -- it matches my thrifted shoes perfectly ;)

It is a really solid design. Easy to understand, good instructions & illustrations, and a simple make -- no closures at all, but a little more fitted in the bodice thanks to some darts, and two belt options. I always think that if a dress fits in the shoulder/bust area, you can get away with any other fullness, as it still looks like it fits you. This one is perfect for that.

I shortened it quite a lot. I took 1/2" up above the waist, and another 4" out of the length. I wanted it to hit right at the knee. I might add another inch back at the hem if I make it again, though, since wearing the belt shortens it again just a little.

I also took some advice from a PatternReview review, and measured the pocket placement before proceeding. The pockets were indeed quite low, so I bumped the placement up by 2". That seemed to work for me. Another tip was to hem the sleeve prior to sewing the sides together, since the angle at the underarm makes it hard to hem neatly afterward -- I went ahead and did that and the finish is just fine at the underarm even though I don't usually like to leave seams open like that. Much easier to do it flat, for sure!

One more change I made was to interface one side of the large central panel of the belt. I thought it might need a little more support. I used lightweight interfacing since my fabric is already a bit heavier than some of the drapier options recommended. When I finished the belt I really wasn't sure I'd like it. I have a short waist and looking at it I thought I should have narrowed the large central section by an inch or two. But when I put it on it turns out I actually like it a fair bit the way it is!

The best thing is that this dress works both trim and neat with the belt, and without it as more of a shift silhouette. It was close to 40 Celsius on Friday when I wore this first so I left off the belt for more airflow ;)

 I really like this pattern. The shape is comfortable, the sewing is straightforward, it has pockets and wearing options, and the sleeves don't pull at all. Lots of potential here. I'm glad I bought it.

Am I looking distracted here? If you look into the far distance you will see our neighbourhood
rabbit under the trees at the back of the yard. I was trying to give photo directions without scaring it!