Marianne dress

I absolutely love A line dresses with collars. Especially A line dresses with collars in striped nautical fabric! Can I get a Whut Whut!?

So when Christine Haynes released the Marianne dress pattern I snapped it up and even got delivery all the way from America just so I wouldn't have to print, stick and cut it up. 

I first made view A in my nautical fabric but I messed up the neck binding and fell out of love with the dress. The binding wasn't even terrible but I wasn't happy with it - that's how far I've come since starting dressmaking! But that's another post. 

Anyway I left it a week, ordered some plain interlock fabric and plotted and planned. I made view B this time with the contrasting yoke and a white collar. 

I cut a size 2 graded to a 6 and all the way to 18 for the length. If I hadn't have lengthened it so much I think it would've been scarily near tunic length instead of dress length. I must have long arms and legs in comparison to everyone else. I also lengthened the sleeves by 2 inches and they just about fall at the right length.

I love this dress! It took 4 hours to cut and sew together one Sunday afternoon. It was my first time sewing with knits (apart from my failed first attempt) and found it surprisingly easy. 

I'm already planning a white striped interlock version and a tunic top too. You know you love a pattern when you're already planning different versions before finishing the one you're sewing!