Jolene.. Jolene.. Jolene.. Jolene by Ready to sew

In this post I will talk about the beautiful Jolene dress pattern by Ready to Sew #thehemlineeclectic #readytosew

When I discovered Ready to Sew! I almost bought every pattern. I love Raphaëlle's creations. She is a one woman show and her style totally lines up with my esthetics . Please go check her patterns out at - Ready to sew

The Jolene dress

When I first saw the Jolene dress, I fell in love. The gathered princess seams along with a dolman sleeve is a dream combination for an amazing fit.

Being short waited, I love wearing outfits that accentuate my natural waist and then have a gentle shaping below. I also like my garments more well-fitted on top and this pattern checked all boxes. And with the button down shirt dress, I can adjust my slit height and make it a perfect dress for both warm and cold weather!

The pattern has a regular sleeve and a dolman sleeve option along with a pointed or a rounded collar option. I went with the dolman and rounded collar for this beauty! Ready to Sew has now released an extension pack for this dress which give you more sleeve, collar and hem options! Check it out!

The fabric

This pattern would work well in any lightweight woven. literally anything!

I made my jolene in one of my favorite ikat fabrics that I was hoarding for along time. I just did not find inspiration to showcase this fabric in a perfect way. I considered the Kalle Dress shirt from Closet Core Patterns first but somehow could not bring myself to cut it out. But when I met Jolene, I was sold. Most lightweight woven fabrics would complement this pattern well but the ikat makes it most unique. I purchased this ikat from iTokri online. They have constantly new ikats appearing and are quickly sold out.. so quick fingers everyone!

Fitting Jolene

Because of how well-fitted the bodice needs to be, I made a toile of just the bodice. By looking at the size chart and the ease, I chose to cut out a size 40.

Be aware that unlike other indie pattern designers, Ready to sew patterns does not have finished garment measurements, Instead she gives you ease amount for each measurement. And all her measurements are in cms! For example, I have a 37inch (94cm) Bust. Size 40 was designed for 92cm bust with a 4cm ease, which means the finished garment would be 96cm or about 38inches. From experience I know that 38inchs bust in a finished garment works well for me if my button placements are good! :) so I cut out a size 40 pattern.

I used some muslin to make up my toile, quick and easy. As usual, I had to shorten the torso.

I shortened all pattern pieces that go across my bodice by 1/2 inch in the front and the back.

The pattern is designed for someone taller. Therefore, I shortened the hem of the skirt by about 1.5"

I also decided I need pockets!! I added inseam pockets!

Thats it. I cut out the fabric and interfacing and was ready to sew it up!

Oh, Ready to sew patterns do not explicitly tell you to interface your fabric prior to sewing. . But I highly recommend interfacing your button plackets for this dress.

Sewing up the dress

Sewing up this dress was a dream. The instructions (as most ready to sew patterns) are not as detailed as other indie pattern companies (like in the folds). So keep that in mind and read carefully.

The gathered princess seams came together so well and it was a great feeling when I didn't mess anything up!

The skirt and the bodice come together well. When I tried to add the pockets, i sewed on of the pocket bags to the wrong seam!! 😩 I sewed it to the back princess seam instead of the side seam (there were many seams!! This messed with my gathers and of course the pocket was on my butt!! 😂

Anyways, this was easy enough to fix. Unfortunately, I had in my excitement graded and finished the waist seam too. Thankfully the dress was very forgiving and everything turned out OK!!

The buttons!! Aaahh! I am glad my machine can make button holes and sew in the buttons. So many buttons!! I love that she placed them in pairs instead of evenly distributed.

Techniques you will learn

1. How to sew a collar and collar-stand

2. How to sew and fit gathered princess seams

3. How to sew a button stand

4. How to sew MANY buttons and buttonholes!

Styling

In this post, I have styled my Jolene with my black Chelsea boots from Cole haan.

Get Inspired!!

Finally, I highly recommend this dress. I have had so many complements wearing this unique design. It will make you stand out! 😊

I leave you here with more pictures to inspire you to cut this pattern out now.

#thehemlineeclectic #slowsewing #indiepatterns #indiesewing #sewcialists #handmadewardrobe #handmadefashion