The Moneta Knit Dress

This is another one of those patterns that I’ve had for years but never made. The Colette Patterns Moneta knit dress (discontinued) pattern always seemed like a practical and easy to wear dress to me. So, I finally did it. In order to get the fit I wanted on the Moneta knit dress, I had to do quite a lot of work and make more than a few changes. I’ll take you through what I did in case you need to do the same either for this pattern, or another.

The Changes

Here’s a quick list of the changes:

lengthened the bodice by about 2″
widened the bodice at the bottom by about 1/2″
redrafted the pockets to make them bigger (more useable)
added a neckband
widened the sleeves by 1″
did a FBA (full bust adjustment)

While this list seems like a lot, I was determined to have a wearable, knit dress that is comfortable, versatile and makes me feel good when I put it on.

I noticed when I made a muslin (sadly it didn’t end up being a wearable muslin) that the waist seam hit me in the ribs, which I find very annoying. That’s the reason made the bodice longer. I wanted something that would be closer to my waistline. This is a common adjustment I’ve been doing for most dresses that have a waist seam. Here’s another example.

I also needed to make the bodice wider at the bottom so it wasn’t tight. The pattern size is an XL, by the way. Often garments with negative ease are too negative (which makes them tight).

I will check the finished garment measurements for knit patterns so I can adjust to my comfort level.

Another adjustment I had to make with this pattern is the width of the sleeves. This was something new for me. I also don’t have big arms/biceps, so I don’t know why they were so uncomfortably tight. I had to look in one of my sewing books to learn how to adjust for this, since I’ve never done this before. I’ll leave a link below to the book I referenced.

sleeve alteration pattern piece — What the sleeve piece looks like now

The Results

Once I got everything worked out, I I made this blue dress above. I also made this brown dress (from knit fabric I bought at JoAnn’s).

I often find it easier to make a second garment when I can right after the first one. The pattern is already out and I’ve gotten my fit adjustments done, so why not? I won’t cut two out at the same time though.

I’m very happy with the final results and I feel like I have a dress that is really customized to me and my preferences.

Let me know if you’ve made this dress (it’s an older pattern). Do you make so many changes that the pattern is almost your own creation? 😂

The book I referenced for these changes:

*As an Amazon Affiliate I make a small commission if you purchase from these links.

60’s Feel In Modern Times- Sorbetto Top

I’ve heard so much about this top from Colette Patterns that I had to give it a try. I’m talking about the Sorbetto top which is a loose fitting woven top. It can be made with a center front pleat or without. I made this in a couple of different fabrics and I want to share those results with you now.

The first one I made I considered a wearable muslin (just in case things didn’t work out-LOL).

This is made using a lightweight cotton. It’s actually the perfect type of fabric for this I think. It sews easily and still maintains the style of the top.

The description says the top is loose and swingy, which it is. I actually took in the sides a bit (I made an actual muslin first for fit). I also had to adjust the neck because it was too big.

I then tried this in a gauze. I haven’t used this material before, so I was unfamiliar with how to keep it from stretching out. I got a good tip on IG: use some interfacing on the seam lines to keep those from distorting. I’ll keep that in mind for the next time since I had finished the top. By the way, this only takes about 45 minutes to an hour to put together! There are only two pattern pieces.

This is what happens when you take your camera outside on a very humid day. The lens fogs up. But you get a nice haze effect…

Anyway, I had to make more adjustments on this one due to the nature of the fabric. The side seams were taken in again and the arm was raised. I also had to raise the shoulder on this one.

My personal favorite is the pink made from the lightweight cotton. It was much easier to sew and I think keeps the integrity of the design better without as much work. But they are certainly both wearable. If you are interested in making this top, I highly recommend making an actual muslin as I did. I had to make the neck narrower to eliminate a gap, which I did for both of these.

I’m also working on some Fall sewing plans which I hope to share with you soon. Fall is my favorite time of year so I’m trying to keep my plan reasonable but productive 🙂

McCall’s 2094 blouse…again

This is one of those tried and true (TNT) patterns for me. I had some material left over from a pair of slim pants I made last year (Colette Clover pants). It was more than a yard so I wanted to make something with it and decided on a top. This is the pattern I used:

I believe this is OOP now. I made the sleeveless top.

I have used this pattern for dance costumes years ago when my daughter was in high school. I have used it for quick and easy projects, etc.

The only thing I did differently this time was to use snaps (black) instead of buttons. I’m happy with the results. It did take me a few test runs to remember how to attach the snaps. It’s been a while since I’ve done that, but glad I did.

Now, on to the next project!