Honesty time, I have to admit, I was a little unsure about the Fringe dress. I thought it was very similar to both the Honeycomb and Myosotis dress that I have recently made and I didn’t think there were any gaps in my wardrobe for this pattern.
Had it not been for Sew My Style, this pattern would have passed me by, but being on the leadership team, and my need to complete tasks meant that I jumped right in this weekend and got it made!
Having seen some beautiful versions on Instagram using Cotton and Steel rayons, I decided that it would pair perfectly with the new Juliet Rose rayon from the Rifle Paper Co collection. There is a cream colourway, but I chose to use the navy so that I can carry on wearing it in the winter with tights. Having made an Ogden cami from one of the other Cotton and Steel rayons, I had no qualms about using it as it is such a dream to work with – none of the usual slipperiness that rayons are known for and it washes and presses beautifully. And as a special offer, you can save 10% off both the cream and navy versions of this fabric until Friday 14th Sept by entering the code ROMEO at checkout!
I decided to take a little of version A and a little of version B. Having made the Myosotis, I thought the buttons of version A were too similar so I opted for the shaped front of version B instead but I kept the sleeve tabs and added some little green buttons on the shouders.
I added the waist ties as I do prefer a more cinched in silhouette, but I chose to use a matching pink grosgrain ribbon to add some pretty detail. I added mine into the front darts (such a clever idea) and I think it work really nicely.
Construction-wise, it is all pretty easy. Perhaps a less well behaved rayon wouldn’t cope so well with having the neckline facing being topstitched down, as it tends to shift, but this worked really well.
I obviously added the pockets to mine – surely that is a given by now! I also liked the unhemmed length when I tried it on, so I chose to finish the hem with bias binding, which meant I didn’t have to turn it up so much.
I also really like that the dipped hem means you can see a little flash of the pink trim on the sides as you move!
Overall, I am so pleased that I did take the plunge and make this dress. I can see it becoming one of my favourites to wear out and about – it is a joyful riot of colour and I really love the shape.