I loved this pattern. It took an hour to trace off to my freezer paper and tape , 1/2 hour to cut out and two hours to sew. Jalie Bella fit straight out of the envelope in a size Q and looks like something you would buy in a shop. She loves it and wants more! I totally recommend this pattern! And was that a relief after the twenty or so hours it took me to finish the pink velvet dress. I needed a break and this was it.
I love how the design skims the hips and then flares out at the hem to a full circle skirt. I also love the gentle scoop of the neckline. It’s little details like that that make a great pattern. And excellent drafting and notch placement , too.
Lily picked out this interesting fabric at The Fabric Depot in Ventura. It’s a double faced stretch woven . The lace is fused to the woven stretch satin. It’s a little see through so she wore a slip. Although the pattern asks for a two way stretch knit, this fabric only stretched on the crossgrain and had no stretch on the lengthwise grain. I took my chances to use it, and it still fits her comfortably. Win!
She got lots of compliments at the Christmas show! If you are looking for a simple pattern for a party dress for a teen or even yourself, this is a great pattern!
I sewed all seams with my Babylock serger and all hems with my Janome 1000CPX coverstitch machine. I didn’t add the recommended see through elastic to the neckline, either. I just turned the hem, pinned, and stitched with a 5/8 SA instead. I recently bought some stretch thread from WAWAK and use it in the looper of the coverstitch machine. It makes a big improvement in my hems.
Happy sewing!
You’ve been busy! That dress could not fit her any better. I bet a lot of the other girls at the Christmas show wish they had you for their mom And thanks for the tip about the elastic thread in the looper — I’m going to try that.
Thanks Sandy! try the thread!
That is lovely!
Beautiful dress on a beautiful girl. It fits so nicely and looks fabulous. Thanks for sharing.
Just lovely, Justine! Your daughter is beautiful. I love the style of this dress, and I especially love the length for her with her heels. Too many teens are caught up in wearing only very short dresses. This is much more sophisticated, in my opinion, for any age! Your accomplishments amaze me, you are so productive! Keep up the good work!
Thanks Loretta. Their dresses need to be about knee length and you are right that it’s hard to find anything she would like in that length. This type of dress would usually fall mid thigh in a store and knee length ones are too old looking for her taste. Also, since Lily is short waisted, it is just so hard to find a good fit.
Gorgeous dress, it really has a lot of style!
wow that is beautiful, you really did a great job.
Thanks paula!
Hello! Just caught your blog on Bloglovin’ and love your Jalie Bella dress. Perfect style and fit! Thanks so much for sharing. I’d like to buy the pattern. Do you sell it or can you provide me with a source, please?
Beautiful dress. Lily is so pretty and the fit is fantastic.. [Can’t believe how these girls have grown up..]
She looks like you…