In April, Eugénie began collaborating with Charlotte, the creator of the Cha Coud brand. I wasn’t familiar with the patterns from this brand and I really appreciated the feminine aesthetic of the designs offered, a bit retro, while clearly very comfortable. Exactly what I’m looking for! And among all the models offered, the Alix dress was a real favorite!   

I’ll explain everything in detail.

Model

Alix is a beautiful long dress fitted at the bodice, with a lovely full skirt. It’s a very clever design because it looks like a wrap dress with a surplice neckline, while also featuring a slit (very high open) closed by a buttoned tab on the side of the skirt; something not possible in classic wrap dresses. 

The designer’s trick also lightens the skirt by removing the double layer. The top of the shoulders is covered by a small godet ruffle, which elegantly finishes the beautiful silhouette of the whole. It’s not necessarily visible in the photos, but the bodice, waistband, and shoulder ruffles are lined, giving the garment a beautiful finish both outside and inside.

Practical information for sewing the model

Alix is available from size 34 to 52 in printed or PDF format on our website or directly in store.

Seam allowances are included and drawn in the pattern. This is uncommon and a bit confusing at first, but it’s really practical if you need to grade precisely between several sizes.  And last but not least: in PDF, the pages join edge to edge, no need to cut the print margins. Thanks, Charlotte!   

The indicated difficulty is “intermediate.” I mostly agree with this because this dress involves some techniques to know. I’ll detail them below, but that said, a motivated beginner can manage it by taking their time and doing tests. I always tell my workshop participants: “tests are life!”   

The pattern doesn’t offer variations, but as the creator indicates, it can be made in many different fabrics, such as cotton voile, a poplin, broderie anglaise, or in viscose or lyocell/tencel. Cotton satins will also work wonderfully with this model. Depending on the fabrics chosen, you’ll get very different results. As I write this, I’m already imagining other models to make, especially in a lyocell denim from the shop that really tempts me!

In the seamstress’s basket

To make Alix, you will need:

- 2.5m of fabric with a width of 1.40m, and 3m for sizes from 42 upwards.
- 50 cm of lining with a width of 1.40m for the bodice.
- 4 buttons of 25mm diameter
- 1 shirt button to secure the bodice underneath
- Matching thread to the fabric

Optionally, to make things easier, a buttonhole ruler for perfect spacing. 

We also used support interfacing to support the neckline. 

My version

Studying the size chart and the pattern pieces, I started with a 36 for the bodice and graded up to 38 from the waist down. The fit is perfect! Looking closely at the photos, you’ll see I have two clips in the back, although they aren’t included in the pattern. This is due to a small mistake I made while cutting the pattern pieces. I realized it once my fabric piece was cut, and without anyone noticing, I adjusted by adding these clips. I think the silhouette gains finesse on me!

My supplies

While stocking the "joly coupons" of 3m in the shop, I completely fell for an existing pattern in cotton lawn and poplin. For more softness, I chose the very light cotton lawn and I love it. It has a salmon pink background and retro, beautifully charming flowers! And since the dress requires 2.5m of fabric, I cut the bodice lining pieces from the remaining 50 cm, which gives a nice finish inside the garment. For my stitching, I used Güttermann no. 659, a beautiful pale pink, to match the fabric tones while being slightly different. To ensure good durability over time, I interfaced the bias cuts of the bodice with fusible straight grain tape. 

The button tab and waistband gained structure and reinforcement with H180 interfacing.
The buttons come from my grandmother’s stock and add a little bright touch to the garment.
I used 6 instead of the 4 indicated because I wanted to be able to close the slit a bit lower if needed. 

Technical points

For the technical details, you’ll find:
- the tube construction,
- buttonholes,
- cap sleeves with an unusual shape,
and – just in case – the adjustments needed to get a well-fitting surplice neckline. For my part, I also enjoyed making beautiful topstitching to nicely highlight the edges of the pieces.

My sewing experience

I really enjoyed making this model. The tube construction is always a great technique to do and the pieces are really well thought out. They are also very accurate, everything fits well for a very stylish result. I’m going on vacation soon to Catalonia, one thing’s for sure, I’ll wear it often to be covered by a garment as light as a feather!    

So, who’s tempted too!? 

Get your needles ready!