This dress is made from the Seamwork Lyle pattern. I’ve been a member of Seamwork since the beginning. I enjoy getting their patterns each month, even if I don’t make them as often as I’d like. I’ve really liked some of their recent ones, so I’ll need to find more time to make theirs. In the meantime, I’ll show you this one which I actually made a while ago but for some reason just took forever to get pics. Like years.
The Lyle is a pretty simple dress. I love a good boatneck. The cut and the curved shaping at the hemline are flattering. I made mine out of some brown bamboo jersey that I thought was from Mood, but it was honestly so long ago, I can’t remember (or find the email receipt). I do know that I had originally bought the fabric for leggings (I still need brown leggings), but it was too thin, so I used it for this.
I made the Lyle in a size 4 bust graded to a 6 at the waist and hips which is what I measure so you can see it’s pretty true to size. It’s really quite simple and fast with just the front and back and some easy armhole and neck bindings. I serged everything and then coverstitched over the bindings and the hem. For the hem, I used some fusible interfacing so it lays nice and flat.
Per usual, I cannot just make a pattern as it’s written and I decided to add pockets (also dresses without pockets are much less useful and harder to wear to work). I didn’t want them to add a lot of bulk, so I made them the kind that lay flat and are sewn with just a single layer to the dress. I cut out the pocket shape as a semi-circle a little wider at the bottom and then did bias binding around it with my coverstitch machine. Then I laid fabric underneath and just sewed the shape I wanted for the pocket, again with the coverstitch. I did this on both sides.
Despite holding the pocket up against myself, they ended up lower than I would have liked. It’s good because it doesn’t add bulk to the hips, but they’re a little awkward to put my hands in. However, they do their job of holding my phone or badge when needed.
Although I didn’t get a picture here, the dress actually looks quite cute with a jean jacket. I’ve actually taken it many times on vacation now. Because of the length, it’s actually a good one if I’m going somewhere that I might need to be a little more proper, but also want to stay relative cool. I often wear it with these little sneaks to make it more casual but I’ve also worn it with nice sandals or mules to dress it up.
It’s a great pattern. Very versatile and certainly one that I will make again if the right fabric comes along, although I would probably shorten it just a hair.
These pics were taken in Solvang after I ran the Santa Barbara Half Marathon setting a new PR. So, yes, I was quite happy!
