In these heatwave times, the release of the Aënor pattern by Sewing Soon seemed very timely... I was looking for patterns for the fabrics I brought back from Japan; I was delighted!
My new apron dress is perfect for facing 30°C because yes, Aënor is a dress or playsuit/jumpsuit that lets air through: pure bliss! I feel like I’m going to wear it all summer!
We dive into this new sewing adventure and the discovery of this new pattern that will save your summer (after the swimsuit, I admit 😂)!
The pattern
I really loved the Aënor pattern as soon as Virginia sent it to me to put on the site.
What won me over?
The fact that it’s a lightweight apron dress for summer but also offered in playsuit and jumpsuit versions: a real plus!
Aënor is therefore an apron dress or jumpsuit, meaning it has no side seams and closes in two steps, front and back, with ties to knot. The front ties first at the back. The back panel then folds over to fasten at the front. You can adjust the tightness of the ties to be more comfortable during the day 😉 or after having eaten a bit too much at the aperitif 😂
Its bustier-style bodice is fitted thanks to its princess seams and is fully lined for top-notch finishes. Virginia designed two cup depths for the princess seams depending on the size; which is great for both smaller and fuller busts.
Additionally, the bustier cut was designed to be feminine while providing good coverage for the chest: the side crossover is slightly low-cut and you can let the bra show depending on its shape, but with a nude bra, no problem. You can also wear Aënor without a bra.
Aënor comes in 3 VERSIONS:
- VERSION A: apron dress, bodice mounted on a gathered skirt. The gathers create a very "seventies" silhouette with volume at the waist, to be managed depending on the fabric choice
- VERSION B: overall dress, bodice attached to a skater skirt. The cut is simpler, more fitted, with a clean waistline.
- VERSION C: jumpsuit/overall with pants/shorts, bodice attached to wide-leg pants or shorts with clips at front and back. Front closure with buttons.
VERSIONS A and B are available in MINI VARIANTS (above the knee), MIDI (mid-calf), and MAXI.
Practical information for sewing this pattern
Aënor is a pattern created by Virginia from the Sewing Soon pattern brand. I really like her work; you can also find the article about the My Girl t-shirt, which has become a staple in my wardrobe, here.
Aënor is available in PDF format and is super easy to assemble and understand the pattern sheets for the different versions. The assembly guide is very clear, and the sheets for the different versions are very well identified.
The pattern is available from size 34 to 50.
In the seamstress's basket
Aénor is sewn in woven fabrics and you can give it a fluid, romantic, or more structured look depending on the fabric chosen.
For example, with fluid and/or heavy fabrics (tencel or viscose…), you will get a soft drape, very "second skin" with controlled volume. With drier and denser fabrics (cotton poplin, chambray, broderies anglaises, linen…), the result will be more structured, with a bit more volume.
For your information, for VERSION A (gathered skirt), Virginia advises choosing a thin and supple and/or fluid fabric (max recommended weight 120g/m2) to avoid too much volume.
For the bodice lining, a batiste, a cotton voile, a cotton satin will be perfect.
For yardages, you can refer to the table below.
Note: if your fabric has a unidirectional imposed grain (for example, if you have patterns with a specific direction), you won’t be able to position your pieces “head to tail” and you will need more fabric than with a multidirectional fabric (that is, without a direction). The yardage is indicated below for each VERSION/VARIANT, depending on the fabric and size.
My supplies
I gave in and after validating the bodice toile in size 36, I cut into the first coupon of Japanese fabric I brought back from Japan! By the way, if you want to see everything I brought back from Japan, go check out our YouTube channel here and subscribe so you don’t miss any of our adventures! 😉
I 100% approve the choice of Japanese poplin for this pattern because it’s super comfortable!
I chose solid cotton poplin to make the bodice lining and ties because I really maximized the use of my 2m of Japanese fabric and didn’t have enough length left for the ties... at the same time, I find it quite nice to have solid-colored ties that contrast a bit with the floral pattern.
I selected orange serger thread and cones.
No more is needed to sew Aënor!
Technical points
Aënor is accessible from the intermediate level. A motivated or accompanied beginner can also take on this pattern.
When sewing Aënor, you will encounter the following technical points:
- sewing the bodice and princess seams
- the creation of straps and ties
- assembling and attaching the front and back linings (while paying attention to the straps and ties)
- assembling the skirt panels
- hems
Nothing insurmountable, but you have to be precise. Note that the technical booklet is very detailed and really easy to follow.
My sewing experience
I chose to sew version B: the dress with a skater skirt. I selected size 36, which fits me best in the Sewing Soon brand. If I had made the romper, I would probably have graded up to size 40 for the bottom based on my measurements. Be sure to check the size chart carefully before you start.
I made a toile of the bodice to validate the bust depth and adjust the princess seams if needed. In the end, I slightly adapted the princess seams of the bodice to create less bust depth. For this, I removed a bit of fabric on the curve so it fits my bust well.
What a pleasure to cut into these new fabrics! Cutting is my favorite moment in sewing, hearing the distinctive sound of tailor’s scissors blades slicing through the fabric... I was able to cut my pieces head to tail and luckily so because my coupon was 2m by 110cm, it was just enough to play Tetris 😂
I didn’t encounter any difficulties during the assembly steps, Virginia’s explanatory guide is super thorough... I was a bit worried about not being able to find "the right" pieces of the version I wanted to sew among the PDF prints... but actually it’s very well explained so I only assembled the sheets I needed for version B. You can select, before printing, the sheets you want to print depending on the version you want to make.
I love my dress, I love the fabric. I feel great wearing it.
So the question isn’t "did I like it" but rather, should I try the romper 😂?
What do you think?
Find all the patterns by Virginia from Sewing Soon here
Find all our wonders in Japanese fabrics here
So, shall we get started? Grab your needles!
