Dress Relief
Full Disclosure. I didn’t always like to wear dresses. It’s quite true. I spent most of my money at Mr. Bulky’s on shopping trips growing up. I remember literally trying to rip a dress off while sitting in church because I was done with the scratchy lace. I’m still not a fan of lace, however, I have more dresses and skirts in my closet than anything else these days. A lot of them are handmade which is even more shocking.
Somewhere in my adulthood I developed a love for dresses and vintage styles. When it’s miserably hot in the summer they keep you cool. We had many of those days this summer! They fit better than a pair of jeans. You can go out for pizza and ice cream without concerns of busting a seam. That’s a win!! If you own a sewing machine, it’s an art form to create your own wardrobe and style. I also love them because it’s one piece of clothing that you don’t have to worry about matching tops or pants with.
The new rayons in my upcoming collection, Growing Beautiful, have been a delight to sew garments with. I wanted to share two dresses that are easy to make, versatile and comfortable to wear. What a relief!
The Farrow Dress by Grainline Studio is a dress that you will want to twirl around in the instant you put it on. It has a beautiful drape with the Moda rayon and feels wonderful to wear. There are inseam pockets and a sleeveless option for warm summer days. Another great feature about this pattern is that you can find a sew-along with detailed instructions and pictures on the Grainline Studio website. The sewing level is ranked Advanced Beginner. My only tip is to go slow when attaching the sleeves. I did refer to the sew along before sewing the pockets. Since the dress is split into four quadrants, it would be fun to experiment with color blocking too!
Who is this beautiful soul? Her name is Donna and she owns Donna’s Dress Shop; a dress boutique in Kansas City featuring vintage and new threads that are so rad. When you are visiting Kansas City be sure to go and meet Donna in the flesh and find something unique from her shop to take home. Click here to follow Donna’s Dress Shop on Instagram and see the latest collections!
The second dress pattern I’d like to share is the Varda Dress by Christine Haynes. I like this pattern because there are different sleeve options to choose from or you can make a top. This gives you six different variations! I’ve also made the Varda Dress in quilting cotton and it looks just as great as the rayon. There is an invisible zipper in the back of the dress but do not fear! Check out this invisible zipper video tutorial by Sew To Grow who also has great sewing patterns for the modern woman.
There are so many wonderful indie patterns choose from. Here is a current list of indie pattern designers I’ve sewn from and recommend.
By Hand London
Christine Haynes
Fancy Tiger
Grainline Studio
Indygo Junction
Made By Rae
Megan Nielson
Sew Caroline
Sew to Grow
Sew Liberated
Tilly And The Buttons
True Bias
Click here to read Moda’s blog post reviewing more indie pattern designers.
Oh….Donna has the most fun jewelry and accessories in her shop! I may own two cat dresses thanks to her too. 
Donna’s Dress Shop
1410 W 39th Street
Kansas City, MO 64111