Asteria Dress

I could claim that I intentionally picked this perfect Christmas green fabric to make this classy Christmas dress, but I really didn’t. I spotted this gorgeous floral viscose when browsing the Drapers Fabrics website for a black fabric for another project and had to get some of it (I did find said black fabric, too 😂). Originally, I thought I’d make a top so only ordered 1.5m of it. When I received it, I thought it’s perfect for the Jennifer Lauren Handmade Asteria Dress, which called for 2.75m x 150cm of fabric.

One of the perks of being small is that I can usually squeeze a dress out of much lesser fabrics than recommended. The length of fabric I got sent was quite generous too, as I noticed that they have provided an allowance for the swatches that they snipped off one corner. So, there’s only one way to find out! I cut the pattern pieces and laid them all out, a little bit of pattern tetris later, I cut them all out from the length I’ve got. Yay!

This accidental Christmas dress is so perfect. I love vintage style fitted dresses, but I can’t fit into many of my old dresses now. I’m not sure if it’s age or something else, but my body measurements fluctuate quite wildly these days so I’m hesitant about sewing any new fitted garments. This dress is a pullover style and I can cinch the waist in with the waist ties on a small waist day, or just wear it with a more relaxed fit on a bloated day. Problem solved.

The Asteria Dress pattern comes with 4 cup sizes and 2 views. I made view 1 with a button-down front and collar. I tried if I could get away with decorative buttons only, but it’s a bit difficult to get out of the dress so I obligingly made the buttonholes. I guess I would need to make a size 8 bodice if I want to skip those steps. The dress is full of cute details and very well drafted! The collar sits perfectly at the corners of the square neckline. It’s so precise!

The viscose is slippery so a little tricky to sew, but the result is a gorgeous, drapey, and comfortable dress. It feels so lovely to the skin. The accidental festive colour is just a bonus, although I should be wearing this dress on Christmas day as we’re expecting a 42°C day!