moneta

If I tell you that I have a new favorite dress every time I post, it might get annoying, right? Well, this one is the perfect staple dress for me: it’s made in a knit (super comfortable), it has a fitted bodice, short sleeves and a gathered skirt (my go-to silhouette, see for instance this dress (fr) or this one) and it’s electric blue (which has replaced black and navy as a neutral in my wardrobe, cf. this or this).

moneta_portrait

The pattern is the Moneta dress by Colette Patterns. What’s funny is that I bought it at first because I loved all the different collars that go with it, but I ended up sewing the most plain version possible… Next time I guess!

moneta_dos

The fabric is a knit I bought in Paris just before moving here, and turned out to be exactly the same one as for my Coco dress. I think it’s interlock, but I’m not quite sure, anyway it’s thick and soft and comfy. Also, as I’ve actually finished it before September 21st, it counts as my last participation in Summer Stashbust 2014.

moneta_fronces

The pattern is really easy and quick to make. It was my first time gathering a knit and I liked the technique used in the pattern, where you use an elastic of the width of the bodice to gather the skirt pieces. It should result in even gathers but that wasn’t quite the case for me, my elastic stretched out and I had to re-gather some of the parts by hand. It think it really was because of my choice of elastic: either it was the wrong kind (I used clear elastic that I bought to make swimwear, and it’s not super stretchy) either it was just poor quality. Next time I’ll try using regular elastic and I’m pretty sure it won’t result in a wavy waist seam like I have here.

moneta_poches

Another change that I want to make: the pattern indicates to sew the pockets with the same seam allowance than for other seams, where usually Burda and Deer&Doe advise to sew them with a smaller seam allowance so that they don’t peek out. I think I’ll do this next time because now I have chubby pockets and it makes me pretty unhappy. But hey, pockets! That’s cool, stilll.

moneta_encolure

On the other hand I was pleasantly surprised by the neckline, which is simply turned and stitched with a twin needle: on a knit fabric, it looks really neat.

moneta_manches

One last thing: the sleeves are WAY shorter than what I had pictured from the line drawing! On the drawing, they look like they go up to the elbow. I guess that the 3-quarter length sleeves of the line drawing are thus elbow sleeves. It doesn’t bother me that much, though, I like short sleeves. And it gives me a good excuse to make a new one..! I think it would look good in a floral, don’t you?

moneta_intro

Little Blue Dress
Moneta  Colette Patterns
Size S
Interlock from the Marché Saint Pierre