Four best summer dresses patterns I sewed from in 2023

For the current summer season, I’ve been recently sewing a bunch of summer dresses. With the holiday season approaching, I wanted fresh air in my wardrobe. And I also wanted to try something new. I didn’t have any particular inspiration, I was just leafing through some older issues of sewing magazines I have had since last summer or those I purchased a few months ago.

In this blog post I will take you through my summer makes. I will mention what made me to choose those particular patterns and what my fabric choices were. Moreover, I will write more in detail about positives and negatives of different fabric types.

1. Gemma Dress by La Maison Victor

It is quite usual for me to purchase a sewing magazine because of a particular pattern and then not have time to sew it for a year. This is what has happened with my Gemma Dress. I wanted to sew this model last summer, when I bought my La Maison Victor June issue (French edition), but then put it on the backburner until June this year. 

This particular model brought my attention because of the fitted princess line silhouette, Peter Pan collar and sleeves finished with a cute elastic ruffle.

Important to note, that the principal impulse for sewing this dress was a very spontaneous purchase of the fabric. I so much loved its watercolourish floral pattern and colour combination. Material-wise, it is 100 % polyester – meaning this fabric is made out of completely synthetic fibres derived from petroleum. Although it is soft and drapes easily, I was finally a bit disappointed with how this material creases and how it was lively during the cutting stage. Moreover, it frays. 🙁 For those reasons, I think I will prefer in the future more natural light or midweight fabrics, such as viscose for example.

Sadly enough, I recently learned that the magazine La Maison Victor came to its end earlier this year, so this was my last issue. 🙁

2. Juddy Dress by Fibre Mood

This model has awakened my curiosity because it is an oversized dress pattern and I really wanted to try this style. Nevertheless, I was not quite sure, because I am not tall and I worried that an oversized dress would make me unnecessarily large. Well – it is definitely true that an oversized fit gives an additional volume to your silhouette, but on the other hand – one will very quickly understand how comfy those patterns are, especially in hot weather! 

Judy dress is part of February 2023 Fibre Mood (French edition) and is featured on the cover page like a main star of the issue. The dress was already suggested to be made out of a single-coloured fabric and I can tell I am a big fan of monochromatic clothes. As opposed to fabric prints, all tiny details and a wide range of accessories can easily stand out.

I love pairing my Judy dress with a crossbody bag of bold colour for a very distinctive contrast that it creates.

Judy dress was so easy and quick to sew – I was able to finish it in two afternoons during a weekend and my lucky choice of fabric greatly contributed to the smoothness of the creative process. I opted for a cotton poplin in the bright lime colour which I was very much fond of.

Cotton poplin is a tightly woven, finely ribbed broadcloth-like fabric. It is so easy to sew! It keeps its form, doesn’t fray and being a material fabricated out of natural fibres (cotton), it is ideally breathable when worn. For me, it is an excellent choice for any summer sewing project which I would highly recommend for dresses, shirts or shorts.

3. Nina Dress by Fibre Mood

The next aspirant for a voluminous summer dress was my Nina dress. This sewing pattern is so beautiful and original! The pleated front captured my attention immediately but I found the sleeves shapes interesting as well. In addition, as a backless dress lover, I was enchanted by the back part and its bow. 

I purchased the Nina pattern directly on the Fibre Mood website as a pdf. file – that means I needed to print it out and put it together first. But nothing complicated. The printed pattern was not available anymore, as the Fibre Mood with Nina dress was issued already in the summer of 2022. Hence the pdf. patterns are a very good option in case you miss some of the issues of your favourite magazine.

In terms of sewing, it was finally not a totally effortless process, as sewing pleats was a bit labourious and honestly, I struggled with counting the distance between the pleats. However, the result was definitely worth all my effort and I was not disappointed at the end. The dress is in reality as beautiful as it seemed in the photo. Similarly to Judy dress (and due to the used material), Nina keeps volume easily which allows the butterfly-like sleeves and large skirt to step in the forefront. 

I again used a cotton broadcloth-like fabric but this time it was a beautiful and colourful floral print on the light background. Working with this fabric was once more a very pleasant sewing experience and Nina Dress is definitely one of my most frequently worn garments this summer.

4. Crisa dress by La Maison Victor

Similarly pleasing to sew from is the muslin and it is also the material I chose to sew my Crisa dress from. I created this dress already last year but never had time to immortalize it in the photos. And that would be by pity. In addition, I found this pattern very easy to sew.

Crisa came with the July issue 2022 of La Maison Victor (once again the French edition). With its simple crossed neckline and gathered skirt, it is the summer dress par excellence! It is so easy to wear and elegant enough for urban adventures as well as comfortable for the beach or walking in nature.

Putting all the pattern pieces together was not complicated, I particularly appreciated how easy was to sew and finish the integrated sleeves. For this summer creation, I chose cotton muslin (double gauze) with an embellished surface in a pale greenish/greyish colour. This fabric is loosely woven and structured which is visually a very interesting and distinctive aspect. For its specific structured character, this material does not need much ironing – I tend to iron it only at a mild temperature and on the wrong side – because of the golden dots that embellish it.

As I opted for cotton muslin, it is again a natural fibre, hence very comfortable and breathable on the body. It may fray a bit more than poplin during the sewing due to its loosen structure, however nothing too annoying. It is a lightweight fabric that does not drape so easily as viscose does for example, so it tends to hold its shape. Generally, I like sewing from this material and would again recommend it for various types of garments – dresses, blouses or skirts.

Where to source the fabric knowledge?

Where to source the fabric knowledge?

Choosing the right fabric for a particular sewing pattern is vital but sometimes we might feel a bit overwhelmed by all types of fabrics available on the market. I usually refer to one of 3 sources I have in my library:

• My sample book with fabric swatches I made during my fashion design studies in Paris
• Textilepedia by Fashionery – this book is packed with all types of information related to fabrics, fibres and fabric finishing – it is a real gem
• The Fashion Designer’s Textile Directory by Gail Baugh – another excellent book about fabrics with beautiful pictures I leaf through often. Mine is the Czech version, the first edition.

* * * *