Colette Moneta Sewalong

I've been thinking about making Colette's latest pattern Moneta for a while, and then I saw that they were running a sewalong, and I thought 'why not?'  The only sewalong I've done before is Sew for Victory, where you get to choose your own pattern - where as with this one guidance is given for anyone wanting to follow the same pattern.

I decided to make version 1 for the collar with version 2 for the sleeves, which meant I had to go slightly off piste as far as the instructions went.

The fabric I decided to use was some lightweight patterned jersey I picked up in Brussels a couple of years ago, plus some white jersey for the lining and collar.

I like this dress much more than my facial express would suggest - I really don't like being photographed!

The pattern was easy to follow, even with the modifications I had to make. I thought about dispensing with the lining but the fabric is quite thin, so that was no good. In the end I just stitched each of the main and lining pieces together and treated them as one - not as neat on the inside of the dress (but who is to know) but easier to do.

This is the first dress I've made from a knit fabric, and it was super quick and simple, without the need for shaping and inserting a zip. I didn't get on so well with the elastic for gathering the skirt to fit the bodice. I'm not sure if I cut too big a piece or if it wasn't good enough quality elastic, but I didn't get the skirt gathered in quite enough. Also once I had sewn the two together I found the elastic was caused a bit of bulk around the seam line, and was not very comfortable. In the end I decided to cut it out and it seems to be fine.

Overall, I really pleased with the dress and the fit is good. I added a couple of inches to the bottom of the skirt, as I like my skirts to cover the knee. However, I think I ought to have added a bit of extra length to the bodice as well, as it sits rather higher that I would expect it to. One thing I quite pleased about is the patten placement, as I've managed to get the pattern running fairly straight, certainly on the bodice.

All in all, a successful project and I think I will use this pattern again - especially given all the collar and sleeve variations that are available. The sewalong was helpful, it got me started on the project sooner than I would have managed on my own, and the pictures and extra detail in Devon's posts really helped.

I really love this collar variation, and I think the button I've added on the back is the cherry on the cake! Plus the dress has pockets - what is not to love?