Inari Tee dress

Inari tee dress, Named Patterns

In between sewing for others - clothes and quilts - I've also been sewing for myself too! First up is my new favourite make (well asides from my Brumby which I wear ALL the time!).  Do you recognise this pattern yet? Of course, it's yet another version of the Inari tee dress from Named Patterns! When this pattern first came out I wasn't so sure I needed another dartless shift dress pattern but the more versions of it I saw the more I fancied giving it a try myself.

Well, thanks to a gift from a friend, I now had the chance! This fabric had been sitting in my stash for about 4/5 years, I'm assuming it's a rayon but I didn't make a note at the time.  It has been imagined as many things, firstly another McCalls 2401, then the Sewing bee shift dress from Fashion with Fabric, but when I got the Inari I knew it would be the perfect match. I don't profess to be an expert by any means but I think the dress version of this pattern really works best in a drapey fabric like this.

This is the best representation of the vibrant colours of the fabric.

This was made up in small bits of sewing (like most of my sewing) over the course of a few weeks. I took my time as I wanted to do all the understitching, finish all the seams etc as I was hoping it would be a success. Which it is! I wore this the weekend I made it and am planning to wear it again tomorrow. I'm so happy with how it turned out and I love the shape of it, love it! In fact I've got plans for another dress, and a cropped tee version!

Details -

Pattern: Inari tee dress, Named Patterns

Size: 10

Fabric & notions: 2 metres of patterned rayon from John Lewis, probably about £10 a metre as I remember thinking it was pricey at the time. Though thinking about it of course it's not really pricey at all given I still have enough left over for a top so I get a dress & top for £20! Thread & interfacing from stash.

Were the instructions clear: Yes. I really liked that it was only a 1cm seam allowance, makes it nice & easy to overlock the edges using the overlock stitch & foot on my Bernina without having to trim first.  I wanted my cuffs to sit nicely and look neat so I understitched them, this isn't in the instructions. I also understitched the neck facing like the instructions say but in addition I used some hidden stitches to keep the facing in place as I get so annoyed by facings that don't stay down. I also added a hand-sewn (not very neatly) bar tack at the top of the side splits.  I didn't get a photo of the side splits but I'll try to get one & add it in as its another feature that makes this pattern so good!

Any changes I'd make next time: Nope, not a thing. Though I would also like to try the cropped top version, maybe not quite as cropped as the pattern pieces!

Total cost: £20

Has anyone else been won over to this pattern after seeing other versions? Or has that happened with other patterns? I've definitely been influenced to buy patterns, and fabric, when I've seen them 'in the wild' so to speak!