A few months ago I suggested Wardrobe by Me make a woven wrap pattern, because there weren't many options by independent designers. Nearly immediately afterwards a couple were released and I even bought, but didn't sew Deer & Doe's Magnolia pattern. So I was really pleased when Wardrobe by Me started testing
Ava (affiliate), because I love her drafting and know her patterns fit me well. I received this pattern and a coupon for another one in exchange for testing (I honestly just test her patterns because I love them. I have nearly everything from her shop already). Here is the Facebook album with everyone else's dresses
Ava Inspiration
It is a lovely dress and to keep this post from being too long I have companion blogs about
checking the length of the bodice and making a petite adjustment if needed and
attaching the waistband and belt.
Ava is a true woven wrap dress that is designed for lightweight woven fabrics with a lot of drape and flow. I used a dressy polyester and a rayon crepe for my two dresses.
Design Features
Two neckline options shawl collar or faced neckline
Bust darts
Skirt darts
Belt (with enclosed waist/skirt seams)
Sleeve cuff (with enclosed sleeve seam)
Pockets (optional)
Gathers at the back neck and waist
Flirty curved hem
Shortened skirt option
PDF Features
Layers
No Trim Pages (US/A4)
Large Format File
Body, garment, and fabric requirement measurements chart
3/8" seam allowance
Illustrations and clear instructions
I made my first one with a polyester mystery fabric from a local fabric shop that doesn't label their bolts, but for $3/yard I figured it was worth trying. I made my standard WBM sizes blending from size 8 bust to 12 waist and 16 hips. This version is hemmed at the 5'5" cutting line for the skirt. I'm really happy with this dress now, but if you are petite like I am I recommend you muslin the bodice and double check the length. See my other post for how I removed length from the bodice.
Here is a terrible inside fit picture of my first version. I hesitate to show you this, but figured it will help someone else avoid a similar disappointment. The back waistband hangs really low and you can see the front dipping down too. I'm only 5'2" and the dress is drafted for 5'8" and the long midi length of the skirt paired with the extra length of the bodice and fullness of the sleeve cuffs just drowned me. I was really sad after trying this on and really wanted to toss it in the trash can instead of sewing another one, but sewing fails are sometimes successes with a bit more work. I seam-ripped most of the dress and removed length from the bodice, slimmed the sleeves and cuffs, and shortened the skirt with the new cut line that was added for people 5'5". I think it is fabulous now and feel beautiful when I wear it.
My second Ava is made with this
Crinkle Rayon (which they describe as navy, but is definitely royal blue) from Joann's Fabric in one of my favorite colors. I LOVE this dress in this print. It is hot in TX and while I was sweating in my pictures I know I will wear this a lot, because it is light and airy.
I removed length from the bodice before I even started this version, but I stopped and tried on the bodice before I added the waistband. When trying it on I realized I needed to remove more length in the back to keep the waistband straight. My petite height extra pear shape requires that waistbands be on my waist not below, so this step really makes or breaks the dress. If you are interested in that technique click
here.
This has about 2" removed from the bodice and 2" removed from the shorter length of the skirt. The final version of the dress has a shortened bodice for sizes 8 and up. This helps keep the waistband from having to ride up to your skinnier waist.
Happy Sewing!
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