Hurrah, hurrah and thrice hurrah! I have finished sewing my Sew Over It Joan Dress, made from Liberty tana lawn and fully lined in a combination of silk (bodice) and polka dot synthetic (skirt section).
This is not a fast or easy make. I applied an FBA, toiled the bodice (twice), shortened the skirt by two inches, lowered the kick pleat, widened the sleeves, and finally sewed it up. Slowly. This dress crashed into one of the busiest periods of my working life, and it’s taken me a month to make. But I’m really glad I persisted because I adore the finished item.
It took me four attempts to smoothly stitch the kick pleat in place. Accuracy is really needed! Don’t forget there’s a whole sewalong to help.
The pattern’s attention to detail is fantastic. Fully lined, with the lining caught in the hand stitched hem, my dress form came in handy to ensure that everything was hanging correctly. The neckline is so flattering. Don’t you adore the ties?
It’s not an obvious choice to make this dress in cotton, but I couldn’t resist the print and knew that tana lawn doesn’t crease badly. I’m glad I risked this unusual fabric choice.
I haven’t found many rear views of this dress online, so here’s one for you:
That’s it. That’s me done. Hard work, but worth it. Love this dress a lot. Glad to move on to another project!
Have you made the Joan Dress? Ever made a va-va-voom dress in practical cotton?
love it! & yes, the neck-line is really cool! great job & thanks tons for sharing! 🙂
It’s gorgeous – the neckline, the lining, your fabric choice – everything! Fabulous, I love it. Might be tempted by that pattern.
I love the dress and the print, great job.
faithstjules.com
The dress is stunning!! You did an amazing job, I love the details and finish. Cheers, Michele
So Mad Med, Karen! Adorable!
Great job. Pretty!
I love this dress so much! Can’t wait to try this pattern.
xo
Beautiful Karen, worth taking your time as it something you will wear on many occasions. So nice to see it in a cotton lawn.
So gorgeous Karen! Love the combination of fabrics and such a lovely finish.
Really love it looks great on you.
Beautiful fabric! I saw it somewhere in my fabric wanderings online but how different it looks actually sewn so beautifully into a dress! I haven’t made this dress but I have one of their other dress patterns on the way which I’m excited about doing next. Gorgeous finish and fit 🙂
Lovely! I wouldn’t have thought that Tana Lawn would have worked for a dress with a straight skirt, but you’ve succeeded. The print is super.
The kick pleat helps, as there’s no resistance to your length of stride or sitting down.
It’s lovely. I think the tana lawn worked perfectly and the fitting you did certainly paid off. Well done!
That is a really great dress! I love tana lawn but haven’t made such a narrow skirt with it yet. It looks so well fitted and the rear view shows a perfect dress.
I don’t think you could make it in cotton without the kick pleat.
I love your makes. But this one truly is in a class of its own. Wow!
Thrice hurrah indeed, the result was worth the wait, it’s gorgeous! I also made this dress during a busy period and honestly thought it would never be finished! It’s a perfect dress to reach for when you need something special though, I hope you wear it lots because it looks fab on you. x
Lovely, the style suits you very well and the fit is perfect.
Beautiful craftmanship for a gorgeous dress.
This is beautiful! I think you have an enviable eye for fabric pattern combinations.
I see your tagline is “creativity is contagious”, and wanted to say that yours has been. I think it was about four years ago I first read your blog – you were giving away a bug print fabric. I commented I was going to learn to sew and although it took a bit longer to get started I finally am and I’m loving it. Thank-you for sharing your work, it helped me find something I love to do.
Thank you! That’s so lovely to hear.
This dress! You have done such an awesome job!!
Frankie
The dress looks fantastic! My sewing skills aren’t quite up to such a challenge yet, but I’m adding a Joan dress to my project queue.
Very, very pretty.
This is really gorgeous! I love your fabric choice and it turned out wonderfully.
Wow you look amazing! The dress is stunning in that print and I love the brooch you added.
How funny. I cut out a Joan dress last night and going to (start) to make it up today.
The effort you spent in getting the fit right has really paid off and I love the use of patterned fabric, most of the Joan’s I’ve seen are made out of plain fabric.
Stunning – love the lining too!
Wow Karen, your dress looks lovely! It was definitely worth all the time and care you put into making it.
Hi Karen the dress looks lovely and , l noticed that you lined the vent (kick pleat) too. I have been trying to work out how did you line the dress and the kick pleat? Did you line the bodice first, then, line the kick pleat at the skirt, then hand sew the lining together at the waist? Still scratching my heat at that one.
Way too complex for me to explain! Check out the Sew Over It sewalong that accompanies the pattern.
What a gorgeous dress. I love all the Sew Over It patterns but am yet to make one. This is so lovely , you look stunning in it. The the is really a cute detail and the lining is fabulous. Xx
I’m very jealous, this is a beautiful dress! May be out of my skill range for now!
Out of curiosity you mentioned that you wouldn’t normally use cotton for this kind dress, what kind of material would you use? (I’m new to sewing)
Thanks x
Yours is the second version I’ve seen of this versatile dress. The two dresses couldn’t be more different, and both are stunning. Love your fabric, the polka dot lining, and the lined kick pleat. It’s just beautiful!
Love the fabric and the fit , the time you spent perfecting the fit has paid off , thank you for sharing
What skills, lady! And attention to detail. Fits you beautifully and that cheeky polka dot vent will be such a treat for anyone walking behind you! You’ve made me want to make this all over again. I will need to ‘biggen’ my sleeves too! x
It was reading your blog that tipped me off to the sleeve adjustment!
Scrumptious dress, the fabric and the lining are smashing. Great job you kept plodding on with this dress it is one to reach for in your wardrobe that’s for sure.
wow.. such beautiful lining..
Stunning! What a glam dress and the lining just adds that extra special something. Well worth a whole month’s work.
It looks great on you … great job!
Really great fabric choice, it really upscales the vintage vibe! I bought this pattern last September and have been too nervous to give it a try. Your dress fits so beautifully and I’ve not really done much by the way of pattern alterations before. I like the idea of patterned fabric though, as it might be a little bit more forgiving than the crepe that Lisa Comfort uses.
You are a stunner in this one! Your lining choice is so good too…love the polka dots! Glad to hear that it was worth the effort.
Love it! It looks wonderful. Good for you for having the patience to see it through.
WordPress has finally figured me out and has recommended a site I can drool over. ‘Va Va Voom in practical cotton’ is precisely my style. In fact, I could adopt that as my personal motto (in my dreams!).
I can’t wait to read more. Lynda.
Wow! Love your dress. Looks like you did an excellent job, sewing and fit. It really looks great on you.
Sarah in California
Beautiful fabric! And that collar is o pretty!
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I seriously LOVE this. The fabric and lining choices are phenomenal.
The Joan Dress is one of those items I totally adore but will probably never make because I doubt I would ever find a reason to wear it, but this post makes me want to do it anyway.