Hello everyone! I'm back after a long break from blogging to introduce my latest pattern - the Wildwood Wrap Dress PDF pattern. This is a very long overdue pattern release for me as I have been working on this for over two years now. I almost released it in the spring of 2019 but I'm glad I didn't. Since the first pattern test, I have made fit improvements, added the Curvy Fit sizes and added new sleeve and skirt length variations (the later two were added only a few months ago). I've been tweaking and tweaking the pattern nonstop and I have finally come to the finalized product. Whew - I am truly thrilled!

Hayley is 5'5" and is wearing a Curvy Fit size 24, view B made in English Rose middle weight linen from Fabric-store.com.

I'll admit that I am usually a little tired of looking at a pattern/garment by the time I release it, however, with this one - I'm still in love. Maybe it's because I'm thrilled with the new short sleeve and short skirt options that make it more versatile. The original design was sleeve and skirt option B (the dolman, rolled sleeves and longer midi-length skirt). I still love that version, however, it requires a more stable fabric such as linen or cotton for the rolled sleeves. Sometimes a drapey fabric can make it look a little like a bathrobe. With the short sleeves, you can use linen, cotton, rayon, silk - so many more options for a very different look.

 Ambrosia is 5'9" and is wearing a size 8 top graded to a 10 skirt, view A in Shibori Scale rayon challis from Harts Fabrics. 

Peggy (me) is 5'3" and wearing size 6, view A in silk/rayon designer deadstock fabric (no longer available) from the Mill End Store in Portland. 

The details of this dress are as follows: shawl collar, waist pleats, deep front pockets, separate obi-inspired belt, slim skirt with back waist darts, front waist bodice pleats, French seamed bodice, wide attached skirt facings. View A - cut on short sleeves and below the knee skirt hem; View B - rolled-up dolman sleeves and midi-length skirt hem.  

Ambrosia is 5'9" and is wearing a size 8 top graded to a 10 skirt that has been lengthened 1.5", view A in Alta Mare laundered linen by Merchant & Mills from the Stitch Sew Shop. 

Ambrosia in size 10, view B in linen no longer available from the Mill End Store.

I want to apologize for not having more photos of Hayley the Curvy model. The first photoshoot was at the beginning of the covid shut down and we weren't able to finish taking the photos I needed.. After I added the second sleeve and skirt option, I wasn't sure what to do about photos. Enter Ambrosia pictured above. We met on Instagram and she is a local sewist who agreed to meet me for an outdoor photoshoot after the smoke from the Oregon fires cleared a bit - just two days before this pattern release. I am so grateful to her as the photos turned out so well. I hope to get some more shots of Hayley later in the future (fingers crossed). Actually, there are so many others to thank for this project. I also had some other local sewing friends agree to do the photoshoot as I was trying to highlight local sewists. However, again that all happened right before the covid shut down and our photoshoot was cut short. I am sharing some of the photos although, the proper garments were not always on the correct model. 

Denise is 5'5" and is wearing view B in a size 8 in spice middle weight linen from Fabric-store.com.

 Beckyjo is 5'9" and wearing a size 8, view B in striped linen fabric from the Mill End Store.

     I also want to thank all of my pattern testers and proof-readers. I hope to share some of their photos in a later blog, perhaps before the sewalong.     

     I do plan on offering paper patterns in this style - both Curvy and Standard sizes but the paper pattern won't be available for a while as I haven't even had time to send it to the printer. 

     Thanks everyone for reading! I hope to be back in a few weeks to start the sewalong for this pattern. 

Take care and happy sewing!

Peggy