Pattern Testing: Photinia Dress

*Disclaimer: Promoting the pattern is not required for testers*

I had the pleasure of working with Alexis from Fibr and Cloth to test her latest pattern, the Photinia Top/Dress. (Goes up to 68” hip) The Photinia features a gathered neckline and dolman sleeves. The top/dress comes in three sizes, with tons of ease so it’s easy to fit. Perfect for a beginner sewist. There are also different sleeve options for different weather. 

Happy sister in her Photinia dress

I had to borrow sis's dress for a photoshoot 

To be honest, when I first saw the call, I was a bit worried about it potentially turning into a potato sack. But sis was very interested in a summery house dress/secret pajamas, so I thought why not!

She loves this for sure

Fabric, Cutting and Sewing

This pattern is suited for anything flowy or drapery. I used a super lightweight cotton I bought from India. I didn’t realize it was so sheer until it arrived at my door step. But the gathering design in this dress hides the sheerness of this fabric. Plus, it’s stripes - I know my sister couldn’t resist this one BWAHAHAHA. The dress definitely uses quite a bit of yardage (I used a little over 2 yards), but the fabric recommendation is a generous estimate for Size A. Because this design was very loose-fitted, I opted to cut straight out of the final fabric instead of making any muslin. 

Size, Fit, and Adjustment Details

I made the smallest size, which accommodates up to a 38” hips, and no length adjustments. The dress length is just below the knees for a 5’4” stature and the bicep width is also comfortable (and not too large to show what you’re wearing inside).

The pattern features a gathered neckline, but I find the draglines from the neck to underarm - think raglan sleeve seam line - very apparent. It’s part of the design, but I personally don’t love it. So I ended up gathering the excess between the raglan sleeve seam lines at the front and back as I prefer that look more.

Back of dress. Notice how I gather the bulk of the pleats at the center back.
 

I concentrated all the gathers at the center front here.
(Note the drag line that makes it look like a raglan top)

Something I did slightly differently was add a belt loop at the side seams. The pattern originally have you sew the ties into the side seams, but has been revised to have an optional stand-alone tie. I knew a belt loop would be helpful when it comes to keeping track of a stand alone tie... for me anyway. Oh, and I also double the width of the tie due to personal preference. I found a really cool video (link below) that shows how to easily turn the tie while sewing - I LOVE this technique 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPHDMc-pUnm/?utm_medium=copy_link

Could you peek the belt loops? I think they totally elevate the dress.

Final Thoughts

The Photinia is a super easy sew, perfect for adventurous beginners. I could see wrangling the gathers when sewing on the neck binding be challenging for a beginner, so my tip here would be to sew a straight stitch to "set" the gathers before attaching the binding.

It’s very easy to fit and quick to come together in a few hours. The flowy-ness is great for hot and humid summer weather! After seeing my sister swishes around in it, I think I might be tempted to make one for myself as well. I seem to be on a kick for comfy house dresses these days. Oh, and of course I'd have to borrow the dress for a swishy photoshoot.