It’s been a long, long time since I’ve been able to participate in the Monthly Stitch challenge. I really like the idea of sewing challenges, but I keep finding myself challenged enough by the wardrobe elements I’m trying to nail down that I rarely get around to participating.
But this Frocktober happily coincides with an October wedding we had. That was a great reason to pull out this Marfy 3920 pattern that I fever-bought, and then followed up with a purchase of this Jason Wu silk from Mood. Both pattern and fabric worked really well, and worked well together.
The drafting is really something to behold: this is a sheath with a billowy top that narrows around the high hip and forms a straight skirt. That’s a tough shape to get to lay nicely on the body, but the single sleeve does a lot of the work to add in fullness on the top portion without compromising the hang of the skirt. Here’s the line drawing:
These details are a bit lost in the drawing but really – the drafting is awesome. See the slim skirt despite the full top here:
I used a size 42. My Marfy measurements are a little closer to a 44, but I actually found that size a little roomy in the shoulders when I made this coat. So I went down to the 42 since this needed to fit the upper chest and shoulders well, and made a generous full bust adjustment of three inches — though the asymmetrical bodice made this a little more complicated than usual. I also added one inch of wearing ease (1/4” to all side seams) in the skirt after my muslin felt a bit tight.
That worked really well, and I’m really pleased with how the dress turned out overall. I love the riff on the off-the-shoulder and gathered top trend it’s much less peasant-top-y than many versions I’ve seen.
This dress was also pretty simple to make; the highest hurdle is the lack of instructions. I won’t bore everyone with step-by-step details here, but I wrote out my construction order over on my blog, Wasted Weekends, since Marfy dresses don’t come with instructions. A few extra details and notes — including the FBA hack — there as well!
Lovely asymmetrical look.
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Thank you!
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Great job! I’ve never sewn with a Marfy pattern before. Your photos are very beautiful. Looking forward to seeing your future posts on TMS!
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Thanks so much!
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