The Emery Dress

I was quite late on the Emery dress bandwagon but once I caught up, I wanted to make infinite Emerys a la A Million Dresses. You can see how versatile this pattern is from that one Instagram feed!

The pattern can be made with a Peter Pan collar, with or without sleeves – long or short, and with or without pockets. I made a few different versions with some alterations and adaptations and here they are:

My first attempt was a polka dot medium weight cotton with short sleeves, hemmed just above the knee as I thought this could be worn throughout the year.

Unfortunately my huge cat hides most of the dress here!

My second attempt was a bit of a rush – I sewed it up in one evening after work – so the finish left a lot to be desired but it was only for Halloween! I used a fleece cotton which was quite difficult to work with as it had quite a bit of stretch. I didn’t line the bodice because the fabric is quite thick without lining so I just covered the raw edges of the neckline with the big collar that I drafted myself.

My costume was my ‘former self’, just to explain the hearts and name badge!

My third attempt was using a similar fleecy cotton which again I didn’t line. This one is really warm so ideal for winter, and I added pockets which is not only handy, it also adds a bit more volume to the skirt too.

My final and favourite attempt was in fairly thick cotton in William Morris Strawberry Thief print. I didn’t line this one either but used Christine Hayne’s bias binding tutorial to finish the edges with Liberty Print. I am pleased with how this one turned out as I spent longer on the pattern matching and fit; I ended up taking the darts up by a couple of centimetres and taking the sides in for a snugger fit.