Project! The Capulet Dress (Test) by Stitch Witch Patterns

I'm blogging my way through some projects I finished in March and April, right before I got busy and did some traveling. So here we go:

Pattern: Oh yes, it's another lovely pattern from Stitch Witch Patterns - The Capulet Dress! 

Materials: I purchased 5.5 yards of this beautiful rayon from Remainders Creative Reuse for another project, intending to use a stiffer cotton for this dress. I did not read the pattern closely, though, and was only able to score about 3 yards of the 45" wide cotton when the pattern calls for 60" wide fabric, and so I used this backup fabric. It's a different dress than I intended to make, but it still came out gorgeous!

I will take this opportunity to shout it from the rooftops: Remainders is amazing and I am so so lucky to have a craft thrift store here in Pasadena. I try to stay chill every time I go in there, but inevitably I leave with vintage fabric. This is where I got the amazing plaid fabric for my Christmas B6453. And I have 2-3 cuts of fabric in my stash that haven't been sewn up yet. 

Cost: $16.50 for 5.5 yards of rayon. The rest of the materials were already in my stash so we'll say a total of $16.50 for this dress, since I received the pattern in exchange for testing it. 

Timeline: Finished at the end of March, before the pattern release. 

Sizing, mods, changes and notes on fitting: Since this was a test sew, the fit is pretty off. (Madeline has since made changes to the pattern, so go forth and sew it without fear!) As you'll see from my photos, the back had to be taken in quite a bit, so it doesn't have that nice square back. On my next version, I'll be sure to do more extensive fitting. 

Because I am both tall and old, I added length to the bodice and the skirt. I don't think I really needed the extra bodice length, and next time I'll skip it. I also added pockets, because I love snacks and must always have lip balm on me. Since I was sewing with the rayon, I had to make the longer Juliet sleeves! I LOVE them, they're so dramatic and elegant. 

Feelings about this project: I love this dress - it's very romantic and a little 90's when made up in this fabric. This one is on my list to revisit in a lighter fabric with more body in the short sleeve version, so watch out, Summer 2022!