Hey Everybody!! I’m back with a Fancy Tiger Crafts Fen Dress. Now before we get too far into this post, I realize that I haven’t really styled this dress with Fall appropriate shoes and accessories. My only excuse is that I am still out at the lake (I live part time in Calgary and part time at White Lake), and I was naive to how chilly it would be when I packed (Oh Heather, when will you learn that the weather is super unpredictable and you need to pack for all the seasons!). I didn’t bring any of my boots. D’oh!

I played with the idea of ordering some new boots online, but decided against it in the end (ie: my husband came up behind me when I was about to place a new boots order and reminded me of my lovely collection back in Calgary. Ha!). So anyway, I apologize for blinding you with my pasty white legs, but clogs was the best that I could do. 😉 Now on to the good stuff.

When the Fen pattern was first released, I really loved it. It looked like such a comfy everyday, dare I say it, house dress. Casual, easy and perfect for daily wear. When I came across this beautiful shirting on the Cali site, I knew it would be a great match. Okay, maybe that’s not exactly true. I loved this fabric immediately when I saw it, and thought it would make a great dress, but it wasn’t until I got it in my hot little hands that I settled on the Fen pattern. 😉

I chose my size based on the size chart which put me firmly at a size 12. I knew it would be a bit long for me, as I have to shorten everything, so I shortened the skirt pattern pieces by 3.5 inches. When I finally tried the dress on, I decided it was a little looser than I would like, so I increased the seam allowance at the side seams by 3/8″. This seemed a bit more flattering on my figure, and yet still loose enough to pull over my head. This dress is a pretty quick sew as there are no closures. I think the trickiest part is the finishing the neckline. I didn’t really love the finish the pattern instructed, so I went with a method I used many times before by Grainline Studio. I also love the darts. They give a nice and flattering shape to the bodice.

I’m really happy with how this dress turned out, and its exactly the comfy house dress that I was hoping for. I know it will get a lot of wear with leggings and boots, and probably a cardigan too. I can definitely see myself making this pattern again.

I also can’t rave enough about this cotton shirting. It’s a right on the cusp between mid and heavy weight, and it sewed up like a dream. It makes a great dress, but would also make an amazing button front shirt. The navy and red, overlap to look purple in some places and the white brightens it all up a little. It also has a gorgeous frayed selvage edge, which means you could make yourself a great scarf, just like I made for my sweet Jackie Boy. I wasn’t gutsy enough this time, but I also think it would have been cool to cut the bodice on the bias. And I think this would be a great fabric for bias applications.

Jackie Boy loved wearing his little blanket scarf. He didn’t take it off all afternoon. Silly pug!

And of course we couldn’t leave out Shanny, she needed a scarf too:

I’m not really one to dress up my dogs, but I do like a cute little bandana on them every once and while. Especially when we can all match. Ha ha!

What are your go to dress patterns for Fall? Do you plan your sewing, or are you more of an impulse sewer (like me)?

Happy Sewing!!

Heather is a self-professed sewing addict, fabric hoarder, and lover of pugs. She also blogs at www.thepugandneedle.com.