One of the things I’ve noticed is that much of my sewing is Summer-centric. It makes sense that as I’m lucky enough to be able to travel a lot, I tend to make garments for those trips. This edition is another summer-suitable make but unfortunately, I didn’t get to wear it on this summer’s holiday. This is the Atlas Wrap Dress by @sewingbymasin . I tried to get on the tester list for this dress earlier in the year. I missed out on testing the pattern, but I got a pleasant surprise when Jasmine generously offered to send me a copy with no obligation to share. (As if I wouldn’t) The Atlas Dress is a mashup between a shirt dress and a wrap dress, the bodice cleverly blends a tailored collar and cuffs with a wrap waist which has a tulip-shaped wrap skirt section.

I couldn’t help Googling “Shirt Wrap Dress” and found that it’s quite a thing atm. Even my beloved Max Mara has one that’s giving me ideas for my next version of this. Also, it looks fab in prints or solids. Do you see how my brain works?

It was my first use of a Sewing by Masin pattern, although it reminded me that I have the Sicily Slip Dress somewhere which was a prize from the Designin’ December Challenge last year. I found the instructions and illustrations in the pattern easy to follow and it meant that the dress came together nicely. I changed the construction of the two-part collar to my preferred method, which is to make the whole collar and then attach it to the shirt.

The only closures in this dress are internal tie straps and the external wrap tie, there are no buttons, hooks and eyes or zips to worry about, although you may want to add a snap to make double sure that the skirts stay closed. There are multiple options for sleeve length which means you can switch up the design. I chose the long sleeve as I thought that carried off the style best for me. The skirt is very short and even though I added 10 cm, it still ended up quite short (for me anyway, as my legs are proportionally long compared to my body) although, to be honest when I look at it now I’m Not Mad About It. I used size F according to my measurements and apart from the length, I am mainly happy with the fit, but for my next version, I may add a little room in the bust and make the pocket bigger or even use two pockets. I’ll also investigate whether I can add in-seam pockets.

As for the material, Minerva has recently launched these fabrics in gorgeous multi-coloured prints and as a Minerva Brand Ambassador, I’ve been able to try some of them. This one, called Tumbled Prints is an amusing take on an animal motif. Multi-coloured blobs look like a giant leopard print in psychedelic colours – well to me anyway! It’s a woven viscose material that’s lightweight and quite drapey.

As with all woven fabrics like this, it’s recommended that you pre-wash it in order to to take account of any remaining shrinkage. Although it’s man-made, viscose is composed of treated wood pulp, so it behaves like a natural fibre, being breathable so that it’s perfect to wear in hot humid conditions. This fabric would be great for blouses, dresses and even jumpsuits.

It was a fairly easy sew and I thought I could cram it in before I left on my holiday, but I was held up by my printer which seems to be on its last legs. It either failed to print the right size, held back some of the pages or refused to be seen altogether. I literally lost days fighting with it. When I did get it printed and assembled, I scrambled to get the dress done, but in the end, I decided to stop rushing before I ruined it and take my time and finish it properly. This unfortunately meant it wasn’t ready to go on hols.

This pattern is absolutely the perfect match for viscose fabric; the drape and the lightness of the fabric go perfectly with this design.

This hot summer we’ve had in the UK seemed to end abruptly and we are now straight into Autumn. Seventeen degrees seems very chilly compared to the weeks of 30+ heat that we were basking in just a little while ago. Never mind, one thing’s for sure, it will be summer again and I can’t wait to take this dress on my next summer trip.

Ahh, so much to sew, so little time.

Thanks for dropping by,