Last Saturday was my birthday! Like every year, I sewed myself an outfit to celebrate! This year, I fell for the Rita dress by Atelier Bernie. For a few months now, I've been following the career of Morgane, the brand's creator, and I must say I really like her retro vintage models, her inspirations, and the little stories that accompany each pattern name... in short, it was another crush! 

A few weeks ago, I ordered 4 patterns from the brand to test the models and I was won over... Rita is just the beginning of a series 😂. So, after testing and approving the models, I thought it would be nice to offer you the Atelier Bernie patterns in the shop. Plus, I'm happy to tell you that these come in sizes up to 50, and that's great! You can find them here. 

Without further ado (enough chatter), let's move on to Rita, my party dress! 

The Rita dress pattern

The Rita dress pays tribute to Rita Renoir, a pioneer of striptease in France and an icon of the Crazy Horse Saloon. She actually inspired the name of the group Rita Mitsouko!   

The Rita dress is originally an elegant and romantic summer model that can be adapted to suit a mid-season or even winter style with a good choice of fabrics. Rita highlights the bust by shaping a pretty sweetheart neckline and follows the silhouette with its strap seams.

Retro-inspired, it can be sewn with a ruffle that flatters the neckline. The waist is defined by a nice shaping, and the dress closes with a button placket at the front.

Two dress lengths are offered: short (above the knee) or midi. The neckline and button placket are finished with a facing. Its wide straps allow you to wear a bra without it showing.

You can also sew a crop-top and skirt set thanks to the belt piece included in the pattern.

Practical information for sewing Rita

The recommended level to sew Rita is intermediate, level 2 out of 5 at Atelier Bernie. 

The sizes offered range from size 32 to size 50. The model's construction height is 1.65m and it was just perfect for me. 

The estimated sewing time is 4 hours, which is quite tight if you have already sewn dresses. 

In the seamstress's cart

To sew the Rita dress, you will need:

• Woven fabric (see yardage in photos) 
• Matching thread (200m spool) 
• Fusible interfacing 
• Fusible straight grain (can be cut from the fusible interfacing)
• Some pretty buttons (you can also replace them with snaps for winter versions). 

My supplies

Since I am a winter child 😂, I chose to sew my version in Japanese floral corduroy from the shop. I was right to keep a small coupon because you cleared me out 😂! There is still some blue and purple left for those who might be tempted. 

I chose not to make the version with ruffle and to replace the facing with a lined bodice. So I added 50cm of black lining to my cart. 

I also added toile calico to my cart to make a toile in size 36 that fit perfectly...

Black thread, black H200 fusible interfacing, and the serger threaded... I was ready to sew my final version! 

The technical points

To sew Rita, it will be necessary to manage the following technical points:

• assembling the bodice panels (princess seams) and skirts
• making the straps
• making the facing and the ruffle
• assembling the facing and the ruffle (managing thicknesses)
• buttonholes
• hems

For those who want to line the bodice, it is necessary to recut the bodice pieces, assemble them before attaching them to the outer fabric. This method allows me to replace the facing. I just left a piece of facing at the skirt level to stabilize (and finish) my button placket. 

My sewing experience

After sewing jeans (the Sunshine by Iam Patterns the article is here) it felt good to switch back to a simpler sewing project... and to dive into the sewing flow. I loved working again with corduroy velvet (after making Cléo by Fibremood, the article is here)... I just love ❤️ this fabric!  

I had a lot of fun creating the lined bustier version and thinking about how to make the cleanest possible finishes so that my birthday dress would be a success.  

I chose hematite ball buttons from my personal stock. I happened to have exactly 7, it was perfect to finish my dress! 

I sewed the last stitches on my birthday just before going to teach this Saturday and what a day! Kisses and thanks to the wonderful Saturday morning group who gave me a surprise birthday with cake, kidibul, song, gift... and even chocolate in the afternoon, it was just wow! I was celebrated all day! And in the evening with all my friends, a magical surprise birthday party! I will remember this day for a long time! 

Here you go for this sewing and life experience... Feel free to discover the patterns by Morgane from Atelier Bernie... they are gorgeous and available in store!

All that's left to do! Grab your needles!