My favorite flower is a peony and my favorite style of dress is simple but with details that make it stand out. So, when I came across a dress that had a fitted bodice, full skirt and was called “Peony”, I knew that I’d be sewing it!
I’ve been in a bit of a sewing rut this spring/summer. The last thing that I made was a vest and that was back in March. But while I was looking for a “new” sewing table at a local homewares consignment shop, I came across a large bundle of blue material. I loved the color and knew that it suited me.
I am unsure about the actual fabric composition. It looks and feels like cotton, or a linen/cotton blend and it’s somewhere between structured and drapey.
Whatever it is, I immediately knew that I wanted to sew something with it. And just like that, my sewjo came back!
The Sewing Pattern
I have been a longtime fan of Cecilie Bahnsen dresses. I love how simple, yet dramatic, they are but there’s no way that I can afford to buy one, even secondhand. So I’ve been on a constant hunt for a sewing pattern to create something similar.
And when I saw the Peony Dress from Agnes & Co Patterns, I just knew it was the one.
The Cost
The material cost was $10. Once I had cut out the pattern pieces, I still had around half of it left, so it cost approximately $5 for the dress material.
I ordered the pattern from the Agnes & Co. Patterns Etsy shop and it cost me $12.94.
The total cost of the dress materials was around $17.94.
The Sewing Process
The instructions for this pattern are very good and there’s even a YouTube tutorial for it if you’re more of a visual sewist.
Sewing the Bodice
I typically wear a size x-small or small on top and a small or medium on the bottom. As the bottom is free, I sized the garment to fit my bust. So I cut out a size small with no adjustments.
I started this project on a Sunday afternoon. I decided to break the project into 2 parts: the bodice and the skirt, so that I wouldn’t be tempted to stay up too late trying to complete the entire thing.
My favorite thing about the bodice is that it’s double lined and the elasticized back is a very nice detail.
I bought a loop turned for this project. I had managed to get by this long without one but I didn’t want to sew the straps down flat and have a seam line on them. Figuring out how to use the loop turner was probably the most frustrating part of sewing the bodice.
This was my first time creating channels for the elastic to go through. Again, the instructions were great! I enjoyed this so much more than shirring!
Once I had completed the bodice, my first thought was how “clean” it looked. Not a raw edge anywhere and I also liked the structure from the darts.
Sewing the Skirt
The skirt was a little more challenging that the bodice, only because I don’t own a serger but also didn’t want any raw edges.
Which meant that I’d be french seaming everything, and since the dress has pockets (yay!), and it had been a while since I had done that, I was a little slow.
As I usually do, I referred to this YouTube video to french seam around the pockets.
When I joined the skirt to the bodice, I also used a french seam.
Once the skirt was added, all that was left was to hem. I rolled the hem up 1 inch and then another inch and sewed it in place.
The Completed Peony Dress
A closeup of the bodice front and back:
A close up of the inside of the dress, illustrating the french seams at the bodice front and back (left and center) and the pockets (right).
How the dress fits on me (for reference, I’m 5’3″):
Notes of Interest:
- This pattern is available in digital format only. Once ordered, you need to download the files and print the pattern pages off to assemble.
- The top comes in 5 sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL. Bust sizing ranges from 30.5″ – 42.3″. Waist sizing ranges from 25.6″ – 37.4″. Hip sizing ranges from 33.7″ – 45.4″.
- After wearing the dress a few times now, the bodice has loosened a bit, so I think I could have gone with an x-small top for a slightly tighter fit with this type of fabric.
So, what do you think of this dress?
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