Sew Me Something Helena

So, I finally got around to trying out the Helena dress by Sew Me Something.  I've had it for absolutely ages, but dithered about which size to make.  It's meant to be an easy fitting style of dress, but I didn't want it drowning me either.

Anyway, I went for the size 12 in a blouse length just to see how it was for size in a nani iro fabric that I've had stashed for a while.  So it has a curved neck band and pintuck detail at the front and a double yoke and gathers at the back.

I must admit the yoke was a little bit tricky.  To have a neat finish around the neck and back yoke, you have to kind of bring the dress through the yoke which is easier said than done, but it is explained very well and once I realised what I was meant to be doing it went fine.

I did a decorative stitch along the bottom of the yoke, just because.

You can just about see the pintuck detail at the front, the inner tucks are the longest with gradually shorter towards the outer tucks.  There are also bust darts giving some shape.

 I went for the normal shorter sleeves, but there is an option for a longer sleeve with placket and button fastening which might be nice for the cooler months.

 Not sure if it shows that well in the photo, but there is a metallic sheen to this nani iro fabric which is a nice dimension.

So I was pretty happy with the sizing, maybe a 14 would have given the more over-sized look.  Anyway I made the dress in a 12 also and I'm pleased with it. It's in a muted brown linen from Merchant and Mills.  I LOVE this fabric, it's yarn dyed brown but with a purple/navy thread through it.  It's slightly crisp and a lovely weight and great to work with.  If I hadn't already blown the fabric budget for spring/summer I might be after more.

I' m pretty pleased with the dress, which had the addition of in-seam pockets.  I think I would have preferred it slightly longer to wear as a dress, but to wear over jeans or leggings it's fine.  It's a great pattern and makes me want to go ahead and make some of the other Sew Me Something patterns. They're all very wearable everyday-style patterns which I really like.  What more could you ask for?