I’ve just finished making this dress… it’s rather gorgeous, isn’t it?
Just before going away, I was contacted by the lovely Sophie, who asked me if I’d like to make something from the autumn issue of the Fibre Mood magazine… would I?!! Fibre Mood is a newish Belgian sewing magazine, with a nice variety of designs suitable for different sewing skills, some quite simple, and some more funky and cool with interesting details. I chose the Faye dress – I have to admit partially influenced by the totally divine sample! printed it out before going away, but got no further until the day I got home again …
and literally as soon as I got home, like the very same day… I got onto it and finished it. Again, maybe influenced by the sample; I dug out from my stash this silk crepe in just about exactly the same colour. Copycat? Moi? Well, I may have also been influenced by the fact that it was literally the only piece in my stash large enough for the pattern layout too! I’d originally bought it from Tessuti’s in Melbourne, during one of my girls’ weekends over there with my Mum and Cassie.
It’s so autumnal!! I’m incredibly into autumnal tones right now, I think probably influenced by all the beautiful fall foliage images we’re getting from the northern hemisphere right now, but also of course because I am an “autumn” myself. I do think these tones suit me pretty well 
“pockets!!”… in a hoarse drug-dealer-on-the-street-corner voice…
The design is slightly 80’s, in a really good way in my opinion! reminding me of the comfortably loose-fitting midi shirt-dresses with gorgeous wide and swishy pleated skirts from ralph lauren 80’s collections… the Faye design IS a true shirt dress too actually; with a long concealed button band, and with both the bodice and skirt pleated into the waistline. And, of course, and at the risk of sounding fanatical; HUGE pockets in the side seams, above
The bodice has what look like pocket flaps on the front, but which are actually faux flaps, and are more of a design feature. The back bodice has a matching horizontal seam, and a rather cute hanging loop as a purely visual feature. I love small interesting details like this!
well, hello gorgeous! Sophie likes the dress too…
I didn’t have matching golden buttons in my stash, and am trying to use my stash rather than always buying new – holiday souvenir shopping notwithstanding!! – so I dug out some black buttons from my stash. It may sound counterproductive to stitch very visible buttons underneath a button band constructed specifically to conceal them! however I actually like this look of them peeping out a a lot.
The sleeves are stitched with a very wide hem, which is then turned up to for a self-cuff. I really love the almost “safari” shirt vibes of the bodice. This photo also shows the nice pleats in the bodice and skirt fronts.
The only part of the design I found a little too scantily explained was the hemline… there were basically no instructions as to how to finish the hemline with that concealed button band as well as the button band itself either. I know from past experience this is something you do have to address a lot earlier than the very last step! this sort of thing requires stitching the corners right sides together and turning out, and at least a little bit of hand-stitching things down. The instructions for Faye pretty much leave all of that entirely up to you. I also decided to hand stitch the concealed button band pieces together at the lower edge too, to make it all look a bit neater and seamlessly finished off.
Also, in my opinion, the nature of the button/buttonhole band construction makes for a very thick area at the front of the waistline… because the button band and concealed buttonhole band are cut-on with the bodice and skirt, and then seamed together at the waistline… when you create all those multiples folds that are inherent in a button band, not to mention that of the concealed buttonhole band, well let’s just say there’s a heck of a lot of layers in there. If I was going to make this again, I would probably cut the button/buttonhole bands separately and in one long piece, no waistline seam, and attach them to the centre front edges of bodice and skirt after they’re joined together. The way it’s done in Faye is not actually terribly terrible, because this is the kind of dress you wear a belt with it, and a belt hides the waistline anyway; however I think this approach would make for a less bulky and cleaner waistline.
The hem, I made as a super skinny rolled hem, finished with tiny fell-stitches. My crepe is the kind of fabric that when you press your very narrow finished hem, thus flattening it out from 3D to 2D, it morphs out to a much wider hem, seemingly by magic.
Summary; I love my autumnal new dress! and may even dare to wear it as a spring-time dress… I think it will work equally well!
Details:
dress; Fibre Mood “Faye” dress in a golden silk crepe from Tessuti’s in Melbourne
Tights; self-drafted using my own custom fit pattern and black polyester stretch from Spotlight
Belt; super old one from Country Road
Boots; Officine Creative from Zomp boutique, a birthday gift from Craig
the swish is amaaaazing! I’m so into the swish right now!
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