Alex took the new Memphis Dress pattern to the next level, making it her very own. Be inspired and get this look today.
The Memphis Dress launched in March and we're finding it to be so versatile! The Memphis Dress pattern was originally designed for knits but Alex choose to combine a woven with a knit. She used a Black Rayon Jersey in the places where having stretch was important; see chart below for details and yardage. For the woven sections of the dress Alex used Embroidered Flower Border Cotton and played around with the placement of the print on the dress panels. The Memphis Dress has an asymmetric side panel, the Lower Right Front (2), which is normally cut on the bias, but Alex took the border print of blooming flowers and placed them along the lower portion of this panel. This cotton border print has large clusters of flowers along the bottom but also have groupings of three flowers scattered towards the top of the piece. Alex used those small groups in the lower bands, the Front Lower Band (8) and the Back Lower Band (9).
Alex decided to use a combination both flower patterns in each sleeve, which is a great design detail. She decided to shorten the sleeves for the summer. To adjust the sleeves, simply measure to your desired length just above the elbow. Alex's sleeves are about 10.5 inches long from the sleeve cap marking. Keep in mind that she's using a woven fabric for the sleeves. This works for a sleeve that ends above the elbow. We don't recommend using a woven for a sleeve longer than elbow length because of movement and ease.
Tip! One thing to keep in mind when working with any pattern, but especially when going from a knit to a woven: always measure your pattern! To make sure you're comfortable with the amount of ease included, we always recommend measuring your pattern to ensure the desired fit. For instance, if you choose to make the sleeve of the Memphis Dress in a woven, measure the width of the sleeve pattern against your upper arm (bicep) measurement. If you're happy with the amount of ease included, you'll be happy with the finished garment. Enjoy!
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Want to see more of the Memphis Dress pattern? Linda featured the Memphis Dress in the April 2017 Sew Confident! tutorial In this tutorial she constructed the Memphis entirely on a serger. You can find this tutorial HERE. In this tutorial, you'll learn to construct the Memphis Dress in a cotton jersey knit fabric, alter the pattern to shorten the sleeve and use three different serger techniques to construct the Memphis Dress.