2 years ago
New Pattern: Love Notions Chorus Dress and Top
(https://www.lovenotions.com/product/chorus-top-and-dress?affiliates=473)
- Take an extra 10% off release sale price with code ChloeFab10
Fabric: Viscose Jersey
Love Notions patterns is known for its friendly and vibrant community with over 65k sewists in its private Facebook group. Recently they had a fun collaborative project where the members voted on a new sewing pattern by choosing the fabric type, fit, garment type and design details. And after weeks drafting and testing, the new pattern is finally released this week - meet the aptly named Chorus top and dress!
Chorus a relaxed fit knit top and dress with elegant drape neck lines being the key design feature. You can choose between a combination of shallow/deep front drape and regular/drape back. Combined with 3 sleeve options and dress/top length, it’s a pattern that effortlessly covers a wide variety of wardrobe pieces from casual tee to glamorous evening gown, depending on the style and fabric of your choosing.
I always love a good drape neck but have never done a back drape before. I was immediately drawn to the possibility of the maxi dress option with both the front and back drape. "Grecian Goddess" comes to mind and I was hopeful. Knowing a fluid drape is key for this look, I chose the most drapey viscose jersey in my stash. Viscose is more slippery and also heavier than cotton, thus ideal for achieving the maximum drape. I would avoid structured fabrics like cotton spandex or athletic knits. Go for the slinky knits like viscose, linen and ITY instead. I have linked some similar fabrics from the Minerva Core Range below - both in the same beautiful aqua blue.
I chose the shallow front option to pair with the back drape, along with maxi dress and elbow sleeve length. The result was even more amazing than I envisioned. The balance of the front and back drape is just perfect and everything moves elegantly with the body. And the icing on the cake? It has roomy functional pockets anchored to the elastic waist!
The Chorus pattern includes optional bra-keeping tabs that you can sew into the shoulder to keep your drape neck anchored. It's a great little detail that you can add to other drapey or strappy garments. For my Grecian look dress though, I added a little hack of skinny ties sewn the shoulder seam that tie in the back. 3 reasons you might want to consider adding them instead of or in addition to the bra-tabs:
- The ties essentially function as a regular back neck line. I personally find it more secure and comfortable to wear, with no shifting with movement.
- The ties allow you to control how wide you want your neckline, instead of being limited to the distance between your bra straps. The narrower the neckline, the deeper the drapes. In the photos, I brought the neckline width to about 1" from the bra strap on both sides, which allows the back drape to echo down all the way to the waistline. On the other side of the spectrum, you can widen the neckline for a slightly off-the-shoulder look too.
- They add a cute accent detail! You can always tuck them inside discreetly when you feel like (as I did in some photos here)
Adding this little hack is super simple. You can use any ready made ribbon/ties or make your own. This is what I did:
- Cut 2 strips along the least amount of stretch (for more stability), about 20" long and 1" wide each.
- Fold each strip wrong sides together lengthwise and serge along the long edge.- Use a loop-turner attached to the tail of the serger thread to turn the stripe right side out.
- Attached one end of the tie to each shoulder. You can enclose them in the shoulder seam as you sew the front and back together, or attach them to the finished shoulder like the bra-tab.
You can see both my Chorus dress and top in motion here: https://www.instagram.com/no.idle.hands/ - As with all Love Notions patterns, Chorus is available as PDF downloads including print-at-home, projector and printshop formats. Sized from xs-5x, both regular and full bust options are included for a customized fit. If you'd like to try the Chorus pattern ( https://www.lovenotions.com/product/chorus-top-and-dress?affiliates=473 ), enjoy an extra 10% off the release sale price with code ChloeFab10. Enjoy sewing!
Until next time, Chloe
www.instagram.com/no.idle.hands/
#lovenotions #lovenotionspatterns#LoveNotionsChorus #LadyMcElroyFabrics #ladyMcElroy
#minervabrandambassador #minervamakers
#minervadotcom #minervamakes#imakemyownclothes #handmadewardrobe#sewing #sewingblogger #memadeeveryday#petitesewing #noidlehands #lovetosew#slowfashion #dressmaking #handmade #maker
(https://www.lovenotions.com/product/chorus-top-and-dress?affiliates=473)
- Take an extra 10% off release sale price with code ChloeFab10
Fabric: Viscose Jersey
Love Notions patterns is known for its friendly and vibrant community with over 65k sewists in its private Facebook group. Recently they had a fun collaborative project where the members voted on a new sewing pattern by choosing the fabric type, fit, garment type and design details. And after weeks drafting and testing, the new pattern is finally released this week - meet the aptly named Chorus top and dress!
Chorus a relaxed fit knit top and dress with elegant drape neck lines being the key design feature. You can choose between a combination of shallow/deep front drape and regular/drape back. Combined with 3 sleeve options and dress/top length, it’s a pattern that effortlessly covers a wide variety of wardrobe pieces from casual tee to glamorous evening gown, depending on the style and fabric of your choosing.
I always love a good drape neck but have never done a back drape before. I was immediately drawn to the possibility of the maxi dress option with both the front and back drape. "Grecian Goddess" comes to mind and I was hopeful. Knowing a fluid drape is key for this look, I chose the most drapey viscose jersey in my stash. Viscose is more slippery and also heavier than cotton, thus ideal for achieving the maximum drape. I would avoid structured fabrics like cotton spandex or athletic knits. Go for the slinky knits like viscose, linen and ITY instead. I have linked some similar fabrics from the Minerva Core Range below - both in the same beautiful aqua blue.
I chose the shallow front option to pair with the back drape, along with maxi dress and elbow sleeve length. The result was even more amazing than I envisioned. The balance of the front and back drape is just perfect and everything moves elegantly with the body. And the icing on the cake? It has roomy functional pockets anchored to the elastic waist!
The Chorus pattern includes optional bra-keeping tabs that you can sew into the shoulder to keep your drape neck anchored. It's a great little detail that you can add to other drapey or strappy garments. For my Grecian look dress though, I added a little hack of skinny ties sewn the shoulder seam that tie in the back. 3 reasons you might want to consider adding them instead of or in addition to the bra-tabs:
- The ties essentially function as a regular back neck line. I personally find it more secure and comfortable to wear, with no shifting with movement.
- The ties allow you to control how wide you want your neckline, instead of being limited to the distance between your bra straps. The narrower the neckline, the deeper the drapes. In the photos, I brought the neckline width to about 1" from the bra strap on both sides, which allows the back drape to echo down all the way to the waistline. On the other side of the spectrum, you can widen the neckline for a slightly off-the-shoulder look too.
- They add a cute accent detail! You can always tuck them inside discreetly when you feel like (as I did in some photos here)
Adding this little hack is super simple. You can use any ready made ribbon/ties or make your own. This is what I did:
- Cut 2 strips along the least amount of stretch (for more stability), about 20" long and 1" wide each.
- Fold each strip wrong sides together lengthwise and serge along the long edge.- Use a loop-turner attached to the tail of the serger thread to turn the stripe right side out.
- Attached one end of the tie to each shoulder. You can enclose them in the shoulder seam as you sew the front and back together, or attach them to the finished shoulder like the bra-tab.
You can see both my Chorus dress and top in motion here: https://www.instagram.com/no.idle.hands/ - As with all Love Notions patterns, Chorus is available as PDF downloads including print-at-home, projector and printshop formats. Sized from xs-5x, both regular and full bust options are included for a customized fit. If you'd like to try the Chorus pattern ( https://www.lovenotions.com/product/chorus-top-and-dress?affiliates=473 ), enjoy an extra 10% off the release sale price with code ChloeFab10. Enjoy sewing!
Until next time, Chloe
www.instagram.com/no.idle.hands/
#lovenotions #lovenotionspatterns#LoveNotionsChorus #LadyMcElroyFabrics #ladyMcElroy
#minervabrandambassador #minervamakers
#minervadotcom #minervamakes#imakemyownclothes #handmadewardrobe#sewing #sewingblogger #memadeeveryday#petitesewing #noidlehands #lovetosew#slowfashion #dressmaking #handmade #maker
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