I fell in love with the blousy effect of the bodice on the Blue Monday dress by Mimoï. I had not heard of this pattern brand before; I discovered it on Instagram while browsing the beautiful photos of this design.
This dress has a wide waistband that highlights the waist and opens up the neckline. The boat neck is also gorgeous, and the sleeves flare out towards the bottom before being gathered into the cuffs. I think it gives the dress a lovely romantic feel...
The skirt can be made in a midi or short version.
Given my height, I chose the short version.
Photo from www.mimoi.fr
Last year, I bought a beautiful green remnant at Yuzawaya in Kyoto that I was saving for a future project worthy of it... So, to avoid any surprises, I first made a wearable toile in chambray from Nomura tailors in Kyoto. .
I do not regret the work involved, because I love my Blue Monday dress in Blue Jeans ;-) with its lovely finishes.
The Blue Monday pattern is available only as a PDF, priced at 8.90 euros on the brand's website. You can download it in A4, A0 or US Letter format. It comes with an A4 instruction booklet.
The dress comes in sizes 34 to 46, corresponding to:
- a bust measurement between 80 and 104 cm,
- a waist measurement between 60 and 84 cm, and
- a hip measurement between 86 and 110 cm.
I printed the A4 version and, after some patience and taping, cut out a size 36, which matches my measurements.
I found no technical difficulty in tracing the pattern. Seam allowances are included, which makes this step much easier.
The notches are well placed and make assembly straightforward.
Isabelle, the designer and pattern maker, suggests starting the dress with the facing, a change from the usual construction order that often begins with the bodice (bust darts, shoulders...).
Two facing finishes are suggested: a neat finish and a simpler one. I chose the neater version, enclosing the entire outer edge of the facing in bias binding. I used pre-folded bias binding with Japanese motifs, bought in a 100-yen shop. This step takes a little longer than the simplified version, which involves overcasting the facing edges.
You also need to make a thread loop to close the dress's back opening.
I appreciated the instructions for making the thread loop, as I had never made one before. I learned something new thanks to this design.
Next, the bodice is assembled from the facing, and the placket and underlap are added.
Then come the waistband and skirt.
I am not convinced by the suggested waistband construction method. For my second version, I will change it by sandwiching the layers directly between the outer and inner waistband, rather than attaching the inner waistband afterwards.
The sleeve openings are straightforward to sew. The instructions are clear and sufficient.
I was surprised by the cuff construction method. It differs from the usual way of making shirt cuffs, but is very simple if you follow the instructions. I will use this method again, as it is original and easy.
Back loop
Cuffs
To sum up, I was a little surprised by the unusual order of the suggested construction steps. I will change the order to save time, particularly by overcasting all the pieces in one go. I enjoyed the original cuff construction method and learning to make a thread loop.
This pattern is for experienced sewists, as it involves many technical steps:
- making and attaching the neckline facing with a back opening
- binding the curved facing edge with bias binding (if choosing the neat finish), which absolutely needs basting if you want a good result
- making and attaching the back loop
- creating even gathers on the bodice, skirt and cuffs
- inserting an invisible zip
- making sleeve openings
- attaching cuffs to gathered sleeves
- setting in sleeves with sleeve head ease
- making 4 buttonholes on each cuff.
After trying on my toile, I will make a few changes to the pattern to fit my measurements more precisely. Here are the changes I plan to make:
- shorten the sleeves by a few centimetres, as they are a little too long for me.
- narrow the back
- use a longer zip to make the dress easier to put on
- remove the placket and underlap.
I cannot wait to make the second version, which I will be sure to share.
