Excited is just one of the words to describe how I felt when I was selected to test the Georgie Dress from Alice and Company Patterns. This cute dress has an old world charm and is actually inspired from an original 1962 design. The Mary Quant inspired dress design can be seen in V & A current Mary Quant Exhibition.
Fabric Selection
Now the original design of the dress features stripes. Not just a plain striped dress, but a dress that showcases stripes in two directions. It was important for me to find a stripe fabric to bring this part of the design to life. However, I was also interested in making a more modern version. I used a pink suiting fabric with grey and blue stripes. The fabric is really soft with a slight bit of stretch. I picked this fabric up from Walmart at a really great price of $5 for five yards.
Pattern Review
The pattern was a bit challenging to sew. There are a moderate amount of pattern pieces. Also, there is pleating, gathering, lining, and an invisible zipper. Therefore, I would consider this to be a great pattern for an intermediate sewist. I did enjoy learning the fork pleating method, which was explained in the instructions. One thing I appreciate about this pattern is it gives very detailed instructions. There are pictures to follow along which makes it even more helpful if you get confused on the steps. The most confusing part of the construction of the dress, was lining the faux wrapped bodice. Again, the diagrams came in handy, in the event that you find yourself scratching your head and the written instructions.
Finished Results
As you can see, the finished results of the dress are just spectacular. The extra details of the frills along the neckline and the bottom of the sleeves are so elegant. I love the pleating of the skirt portion of the dress. In particular, I would have preferred shorter sleeves on my dress, as I do not care for sleeves that reach my elbow. In respect for the original design, I kept the longer short sleeve. I will not be making another dress like this in the future. I believe with the unique design, only one is needed in my closet. Visit Alice and Company to get a free download of the Mary Quant inspired dress.
