The Lodo Dress by True Bias
The Lodo dress by True Bias is one of our Featured Patterns till the end of June, find it in our shop or get it bundled with a class. Use the code LODO to get 15% off the Lodo Class Package till June 30th.
Jacquie recently made this pattern, here is what she had to say:
The Lodo dress was a quick and easy sew. Great for a confident beginner. I made view B in size 16.
I usually need to do a lot of pattern work to get a pattern to fit me properly, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tried on my mock up, and the fit was perfect - a first for me!
I have a small frame, so I raised the notch for the arm hole 5/8” to make it slightly smaller. This helped the sleeves look more proportionate for my body. I also wanted it a bit longer and to hit right at my knees, but because I am 5’2” I didn’t need to alter anything, and the dress naturally hit me at my knees anyway.
The facings were a bit finicky, but were manageable if you had some patience.
The only thing this pattern needed was some pockets. But no worries there, I just added them myself using the In-Seam Pocket pattern & tutorial at The Sewist!
For this sew I used the “Timeless Stretch Sateen” from Fabricville, which was lovely to work with. The pattern called for 1.6m, but only ended up needing 1.1m. I chose a bold print, and decided to take the time to match up the pattern along the back seam. It was a bit time consuming, but so worth it. See the picture of how my pattern matching turned out.
The pattern goes up to a women’s size 18 which fits a 44.5” bust. However, the pattern would be very simple to grade up, so I wouldn’t shy away from it if you need to go up a size or two.
The entire project took me about 6 hrs, and that included tracing out the pattern, making the mock up, fitting the sleeve, and sewing up the final dress with pockets. I am an experienced sewist, so it might take others a bit longer to make.
This was a really fun sew, and I’m excited for my new dress.
You alwasys need some pockets!
Adding pockets to an existing pattern is easy with The Sewist’s In-Seam Pocket pattern & tutorial.
Matching the Pattern Up the Back Seam
This tiny but bold pattern was tricky to line up. Even after I got it cut out properly, sewing it was a challenge. It took two attempts at sewing it to get it to look like this.