Good afternoon, chickadees! Today is my second stop on the Curvy Colette Blog Tour, which means it's time to unveil my Moneta dress. Or, anyhow, one of my Monetas. This pattern is so wonderful that I've already cut out another two dresses. That's always a good sign, right?
Like the Mabel, the Moneta is one of Colette's new patterns for knits. It's a simple fit-and-flare dress, with three sleeve variations, an optional collar, and an additional five collar variations available for download. It is, essentially, the most versatile dress in the world! The Moneta can be made to fit any style and, with the addition of more plus sizes, almost any body.
For my first Moneta, I opted for a springy, floral aesthetic. Shocking, I know.
This fabulous cotton jersey is from Girl Charlee, bought on the heels of my serger earlier this year. It's a pastel floral, with pinks, purples, and yellows set against a spearmint background. It is such a Mary fabric! Even better, it was so easy to sew up. Despite its tendency to roll, this jersey pressed beautifully and has just the right amount of stretch for the Moneta. I'm not sure how the rest of GC's jerseys are, when it comes to quality, but this one was lovely.
As for the pattern, it's a total success. Would we expect anything less from Colette Patterns? I chose the short-sleeved version, ever cognizant of the impending doom summer, and it was a very straight-forward project. Since it's unlined, the sleeves and neckline were simply turned under once, then hemmed. Knits are so great, in regards to finishing techniques. There are no facings or bindings to mess with, just simple stitching!
I did make one small adjustment to the pattern, however. Instead of the shirring called for on the skirt, I opted to softly pleat this first version. It's somewhat unconventional, but I adore the look of pleated knit fabric. It and flows and flatters beautifully. Apart from that little change, everything else is as-directed. I serged the seams, twin-stiched the hems, and stabilized the shoulders and waistline with clear elastic.
Cut-to-hem, it took me about four hours. A good hour of that was spent cutting out, of course, because that's the one area where knits can be fiddly. With a little patience and lots of pattern weights, the whole process isn't too painful, however!
This was such a simple dress, y'all! Even better, I really love the resulting silhouette. My mind is fairly bursting with ideas for more Monetas. While I love a complicated pattern as much as the next sewist, there's something wonderful about a simple, easily embellished basic dress. There is no limit to what a girl could make with a little vision and the Moneta! Personally, my next one will be nautical in aesthetic. All those collars demand to be tried.
The details...
Things I Loved:
- The fabric! Not only is it gorgeous, but it's so comfortable. Huzzah for pajama dresses!
- The shape! The Moneta really is such a classic silhouette. This dress is made to flatter all figures.
- The sizing! I made a straight XL, which fit me to a T, but I'm so excited about this expanded size range. You can make a Moneta, whether you're an XS or a 3X. Way to go, Colette!
Things I Changed:
- Pleated the skirt, instead of gathering.
Things I Will Change, Next Time:
- I am dying to add a collar to this beauty! It would have been a bit too twee with this fabric, but will definitely make an appearance soon.
Notions & Fabric:
- Moneta Dress courtesy of Colette Patterns
- 3 yards of floral cotton jersey from Girl Charlee -- $21
- 2 yards of clear elastic.
Don't forget to check out all the great projects from the Curvy Colette blog tour! Tomorrow, the lovely Sophie-Lee will be debuting her first outfit on Two Random Words. Catch up with all the fabulous members of the Curvy Sewing Collective at their respective blogs:
Wednesday, April 16th: Jenny at Cashmerette
Thursday, April 17th: Mary at Idle Fancy
Saturday, April 19th: Laurence at QuirkyPrettyCute
Monday, April 21st: Tanya at Mrs Hughes
Tuesday, April 22nd: T at UandMii
Saturday, April 26th: Sophie-Lee at Two Random Words
Monday, April 28th: Mary at Young, Broke and Fabulous
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