The Sonja Dress

The first half of the semester is over! It still feels like the first few weeks of school because I am constantly trying to get my act organized. I’ll be super busy writing papers and studying until December, but hopefully I can share my small backlog of completed projects.

This is the Sonja dress, a free Salme pattern which you can download here at BurdaStyle. It was released February 2012 (before I started sewing) and I just happened to come across a photo (on Pinterest I think?) that led me to the pattern. I love this dress! It’s pretty simple, fitted at the waist, and has a full, feminine skirt.

It’s a bit wrinkled in the photos because I just pulled it out of my suitcase after returning from Fall Break. I was so excited about my mannequin my boyfriend got for me I just had to take pictures! 🙂 The mannequin’s measurements are almost exactly the same as mine, but her shoulders are super wide. I don’t have a big living space, so I am still getting used to walking by her in the mornings without jumping out of my skin hahaha.

I did have to make several adjustments to the bodice. The original pattern was made for a really long torso. I slashed my pattern halfway between the neckline and bust about 2-3 inches and smoothed out the armhole curve. I also had to take in the sides quite a bit above the waist. I added about 2 more inches to the skirt than what was called for.

The straps have a racerback look to them. I think I want to make them wider next time, because I’m definitely making another one of these dresses when i have the time.

The fabric is a vintage home fabric I got for cheap in Berea. The pattern calls for facings, which I don’t like. The next version I make will be with a thinner fabric, and I plan to fully line the bodice. This one is unlined, and the neckline is finished with single fold bias tape. Since this was mainly a test version, I went the lazy route on the armholes, folding them once and sewing around.