Do you pick patterns based on the fabric, or fabric based on the pattern? Usually I fall in love with a fabric and then look around for the perfect pattern to match. But every once in a while, a pattern grabs my attention and it’s the other way around. I fell so hard for the newest release from Forget Me Not Patterns. I knew the April dress would pair beautifully with the mauve linen-look viscose. It was such a fun make!

The April A-line dress is vintage-inspired 1980’s take on a 60’s style dress. The loose silhouette features grown-on sleeves and faced crew neckline, but it was the wavy seamed dropped waist that really caught my attention. When I saw that it also came with multiple cup sizes, it sealed the deal! I got my hands on it immediately. The pattern calls for lightweight woven fabrics like cotton, linen or stable viscose.

I knew this Lady McElroy viscose would be perfect since it feels and acts like a linen. Many viscoses have a very fluid drape and little structure. This one is the opposite! While it still has a good amount of drape, it’s quite firm in structure and really holds its shape. It does fray a lot, so make sure to use french or flat-felled seams if you don’t have an overlocker. We also need to talk about this colour! It’s so unique. The fabric is woven from burgundy and teal threads, so the overall look is a really dynamic color. I can’t decide if it’s gray, taupe, mauve or even lavender.

The sewing process was surprisingly really straightforward. I thought the wavy waist seams would be really annoying to sew, but it was actually really fun! Instead of clipping the curves after sewing, they’re sewn before so that the shapes have more room to contour to each other. It does, however, weaken the fabric in the area so having an overlocker to seal everything back up really helped.

The pattern comes with two pocket options, but I ended up leaving them off entirely. Who even am I??? But, the fabric is a bit sheer and I thought it would look better without them. The other change I made was to replace the back closure, originally a hook-and-eye, with a simple tie. For that all I did was sew two tubes of fabric and sandwich them in between the dress and the facing before topstitching to reinforce the area.

The April dress pattern was released concurrently with the free Gemma belt pattern. I absolutely love a tie belt. (All my favorite outfits are loose fitting dresses with tie belts.) The Gemma belt is an elevated version. I’ll probably make a Gemma belt for all my dresses from here on out.

Make Breakdown
Pattern: Forget Me Not April
Size: 44 Full Bust (Size range 32-56.5” hip with small, medium and full bust options)
Fabric & Notions: 2.5 Meters Lightweight Woven fabric
Fit Alterations: None
Design Modifications: Replaced hook and eye with ties for closure
Difficulty: Intermediate

I can’t wait for summer and sunshine to swan around in this lovely dress. I love the way the fabric feels on my skin. It’s all the delicious texture of linen with the lovely cooling effect of viscose. It’s swingy and easy. Everything I love in a summery dress. Come on sunshine!

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