Introducing my softest, coziest make to date! The Cashmerette Pembroke dress made for a perfect pairing with this viscose blend rib knit fabric. I’ve been wanting a cozy winter dress for a while now, something I could just throw on, but still feel present in. This dress absolutely does that for me.

I’ve been eyeing Cashmerette Patterns for a while now, but hadn’t tried them until there was a big sale and I bought three! The Pembroke Dress and Tunic was my first of their patterns and this is my second version. The pattern is essentially a semi-fitted tee shirt dress and tunic for knit fabrics. It comes in midi dress and tunic lengths, has three sleeve length variations, and options for either a scoop, jewel or turtleneck neckline. The dress version has a tie belt anchored in the side seams. While the tunic version is meant more for ponte knits, the dress works great in fabrics with a bit more drape.

Now, on to this viscose, polyester knit fabric. I love it for so many reasons. It’s super soft and squishy. The weight is just right for a light sweater knit. It doesn’t wrinkle compared to most knits. Because all the stretch comes from the weave and not from any elastic or spandex content, the fabric has a lot of stretch, but not a lot of recovery. This means it will stretch and bag out over time, so my advice is stabilize, stabilize, stabilize!

Despite having made this pattern before, sewing this dress wasn’t quite as straightforward as I’d thought it would be. It was definitely a lesson in how drastically different a garment can be just by changing the fabric types.

I followed the pattern suggestion to use clear elastic to stabilize the shoulders. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough. As I was cutting out I wondered “Should I interface the shoulders to keep them from stretching? Nah, the pattern doesn’t say so, so it’ll be fine!” I should have gone with my gut. So after that, I used tricot interfacing everywhere and I used my walking foot on the horizontal seams.

I made a couple of alterations. Firstly, I lowered the neckline by 1 centimeter because I decided to make a neckband. The pattern uses a neckline binding to finish the neckline edge. I thought this fabric might get too bulky so I opted for the band. In hindsight, I think I made the wrong choice here, but I think it was more a matter of not interfacing than it was about whether I chose the right finish.

Secondly, I took about 2 centimeters out of the high hip. I think the more comprehensive adjustment would have been to lengthen the waist on the pattern piece so the drafted fullness would hit at the fuller part of my hips, but I think in the case of a tee shirt dress, some quick and dirty pinching out does the job nicely. Plus, when I tie the belt in the back, it pulls everything together anyway.

Make Breakdown
Pattern: Cashmerette Pembroke
Size Range: Pembroke – 12-32 (42”-62” hip)
Size: 16 G/H
Fabric & Notions: 3 Meters Viscose rib knit, Fusible tricot interfacing
Design Modifications: Replaced neck binding with neckband
Fit Alterations: Removed 1.5 cm from each side seam from hip down
Difficulty: Adventurous beginner

Overall, I’m super happy with this soft, easy-going addition to my wardrobe. It’s comfortable and relaxed not only in fit, but also in style. It’s basically a big hug, and I’m here for it. Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

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