Cotton Sateen Cosmos Dress
Hi friends!
I’m not sure if you remember but in February, I wrote about how I lost my sewing motivation last fall through early this year. The funny thing is, right after I wrote it it came back!
Especially the last couple of months, I’ve been really wanting to sew, particularly dresses!
I’ve sewn three dresses and one pair of jeans between April and May which is pretty good pace for me.
The first of the three dresses is this black cosmos print dress.
Fabric I used
It’s the Cosmos print in Black by Ruby Star Society.
It was called “wide back cotton”; the width of the fabric is over 270 cm! (Most of fabrics are either 110 cm or 150 cm.)
I think it’s quilting cotton but feels slightly finer and lighter that is just perfect for dresses. It’s cotton sateen (100% cotton.)
It’s got gold metallic print of the sun, moon, and stars…along with white small dots, so pretty. The black sateen is so dark and has silk-like sheen, too.
Pattern I used
The bodice: Gilbert Top by Helen’s Closet
I’ve used this pattern before to make shirts and love it! I like the neck opening (the collar isn’t too high, and the opening isn’t too revealing). I also really like that the front has bust darts and thanks to that, this pattern works quite well with quilting cotton too.
For the skirt, I cut out two trapezoid of 47 x 52 cm (63 cm length) on fold.
The skirt starts at around my natural waist and the 63 cm skirt length sits well below my knees (I’m short—150cm, so if you’re taller, you’ll need to cut out the skirt pieces longer.)
I actually wanted to make the skirt a tad longer but I didn’t have enough fabric but this length works!
I made fabric covered buttons for this dress. It’s the same fabric, but I only used the solid black part of the fabric for the buttons.
I like how the matching covered buttons make the garment look a touch dressy.
The bodice itself is pretty roomy; to make the waist more fitted, I added an elastic to the back.
I also added elastics to the sleeve cuffs. I find that if I give just enough ease to the cuffs, they look more flattering on me—maybe my wrists looks slimmer.
Maybe because of the gold metallic print, but does it look like a witch dress? I feel like this would be a perfect halloween dress—maybe it’s not as obvious as a costume but it definitely has the halloween vibe.
But I really love this dress!
The cotton sateen is beautiful, and the shape is flattering yet super comfy.
I love shirt dresses in general. Even if the fabric is quirky or whimsical, a shirt dress pattern always seems to make them look more classic somehow. I think shirt dress is my go-to dress pattern, especially if I’m not sure which pattern to use!
Jun 4, 2022
