Envelope Dress by Crisswood Sews

In this post I will walk you through how I made this zero waste pattern by Crisswood Sews #thehemlineeclectic #zerowaste #crisswoodsews #envelopedress

The Fabric

I have been looking at this zero waste pattern by Crisswood Sews for a while now and when I found this beautiful polka dotted Linen Rayon, I needed to make this pattern.

This was the last of this color way from PDX sewing studio and I was so happy I could snatch up this remnant. There was only about 1.5yards. I believe some other color ways are still available on the website.

One of my favorite linen blends is linen and rayon. The rayon gives the fabric more drape and makes the garment less wrinkly! And linen are always such a dream.

This was such a great fabric to work with. It washed and ironed very well and was very easy to sew with.

The Pattern

This pattern has just instructions and some formulas. It was so great to not have paper to print and cut!! Yay!

The pattern does ask got more yardage than what I had.

However, this pattern tells you that the length of the dress is the width of the fabric and the length of the dress is the width of the garment. SO I just halved the length I had and measured it. There was plenty of space for my hips so I basically followed the steps but just kept the length I had. I am very happy with how it turned out.

I made a couple of changes to my pattern.

1. I only wanted a close to a midi length dress so I cut out a few inches of the bottom and used it for a tie. I wish I had some fabric left for pockets, but I did not.

2. I usually have to shorten patterns at the neckline, so I chose to have a 12" opening, instead of the recommended 13"

Otherwise the pattern is very well written. Such a fun fast sew and I was surprised how flattering this dress can be.

The silhouette of this dress is really very unique. Unlike other zero waste rectangular patterns this dress gives you a subtle silhouette that I do not mind wearing it without this sash. The sash certainly elevates the style. :)

The Sash/Tie

Just prior to making this dress, I was pattern testing for Emily from In the Fold's latest pattern, that is yet to be released while I write this post.

This tie was Emily's design and I absolutely love it. I chose to make it for this dress and I think the little extra detail of this tie sets this outfit apart.

Emily graciously said I can post this before the pattern is released! Here are some close ups!

Techniques you will learn

I highly recommend this very fast and satisfying sew. If you choose to make this pattern, you will

1. Learn how zero waste patterns are designed

2. Learn how necklines and armholes can be designed and changed

A lot of sewing for this dress are just straight lines and since this pattern only has 1 back and 2 fronts, there are not many pieces to work with either. So even more reasons to love this.

Styling

In this post, I am wearing my dress with brown ankle boots.

I can very easily see this dress being layered on top of the turtlenecks and leggings. If you choose to make this dress tunic length, you can also wear it on top of jeans.

Get Inspired

I loved sewing this dress and could not wait to show it to you all.

I highly recommend making at least 1 zero waste pattern in your sewing journey and this one is sure to be a winner. I leave you here with more pictures to inspire you