This is the Cuff Dress by The Assembly Line; it can be found on Instagram by searching #TALCuffDress. This version is made from an airy double gauze that is a cotton/rayon blend.
I love double gauze fabric for its light weight, but I have discovered that it can be a bit tricky to find the right pattern to pair it with. I once made a simple top in a double gauze and found that it rode up a lot and didn’t sit the way I wanted because, as a fabric, it doesn’t have much heft or structure. But the double gauze worked well with this pattern because the amount of fabric required created a good amount of weight to increase the drape.
The top is cut as a 2X and the bottom was a 3X to give a bit more room in the hips, a decision I made based on the pattern measurements. To be honest, I don’t think I needed the extra room, and the additional gathering I had to do on the 3X skirt to make it fit the 2X top was frustrating, so I wouldn’t recommend it. This was also made more difficult because the channel construction for the elastic waist wasn’t what I expected. I would encourage you to read through the instructions first to get a sense of how it all goes together.
And believe it or not, I’m also pretty sure I put the top together wrong! I made it work, but I strongly recommend clearly marking the arms and centre front pieces and paying close attention to how they fit together so you don’t repeat my mistake.
Overall, even though I made some errors, I like the dress enough to try the pattern again. My favourite details are the keyhole and button in the back, and the elastic in the waist and arm bands. It makes for a comfortable dress that you can relax in or dress up when you need to.
Photo by Rebecca Godderis.