A quick Eucalypt Tank Dress

My latest make in attempt to fix the empty hole that is my summer wardrobe is the Eucalypt Woven Dress by Megan Nielsen. It's also quite a different silhouet to what I normally wear, but with all the hot weather we've been having and my recent holiday to the South of France, I knew I could use something a bit more relaxed and easy to wear! The evening before we left for France I had a serious sewing itch so decided to make something. I already taped this pattern together, so it was ready to go! Before this dress I hadn't tried a Megan Nielsen pattern yet, but I always admired her cool style and amazing drawings! Trying out one of her patterns was high on my list, but I still think it's funny I picked Eucalypt to start since a lot of her patterns are a lot more "typically me" This time was the third time that my boyfriend was at home to take pictures. I don't know if they are more clear to look at from a sewists perspective, but they were very fun to take! If you see me making faces or taking a pose, it's because he told me too. We had a lot of fun together :-)

Details

• fabric: cotton from stash, gifted to me by the lovely Caroline
• notions: /
• thread: Amann Mettler
• pattern: Megan Nielsen - Eucalypt woven tank en top, view 4
• size: M at bust, XL at hips

Measurements and size

My bust is 38″, so I went for a Medium My waist is 28″ so a Small would do My hips are 44″, so they needed an XL I graded between medium at the bust and XL at the hips.

Construction

Since this dress was fairly simple to make, there's not a whole lot to say about the construction! I cut the front pieces on the bias, so that the stripes would end up in a V. Since the fabric is striped on one side and plane blue on the other side, I wanted to play with it. I decided to cut the back in blue. All seams are made using French seams. At the front I sewed the pieces together with the wrong sides together. After sewing this seam, it was pressed open and each seam allowance was pressed under itself. After pressing I topstitched along the edge of the folded seam allowances. I finished the neckline, armholes and hem with store-bought bias tape.

Adjustments

Next time I'll make this dress I'll add some extra room to the bust and to the hip area. It's definetely too tight at the moment. However, I'm currently quite heavy for my length and in the process of losing a few pounds, so that might solve the problem too. We'll see how that goes! Overall I think this dress is a good wearable muslin and if I manage to lose some weight (necessary for health reasons) it will fit a lot better. I love the blue stripe down the middle of the front and the overall shape of the dress. The boyfriend thinks it's a bag instead of a dress, but I'm okay with it. Onto the next sewing adventure!