Me Made May: Not Quite Perfect, But Very Good

31 May 2023
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For Me Made May, we asked Digits & Threads readers and contributors to tell us about clothes they have made and how they wear them. See all our Me Made May posts here. Get involved by posting on Instagram, using the hastag #memademay2023, and tag us @digitsandthreads.

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.

Copyright © Rebecca Godderis except as indicated.

About Rebecca Godderis

Rebecca Godderis (she/her) is a bi/queer feminist sewist and academic. She was taught to sew at a young age by her mom, and then took a long break to focus on her academic career studying gender, health, social justice and community building. She rediscovered her love of sewing in her 30s when she began making her own clothes that were full of colour and actually fit her body! As she continues to embrace the joy of sewing, she is expanding her making beyond garments to include quilting and other textile art and needlework. You can find her on Instagram @im_in_my_studio.

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