Colette patterns Archives

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.

I usually don’t write a recap of what I made, but it’s something I want to start doing more regularly. I have a video recap on my YouTube channel here. But sometimes it’s easier to write about details than to speak them. So, here are the details of what I made in June 2021.

SHORTS

The first thing is (which I believe was actually done at the end of May) this pair of Colette Patterns Iris shorts. The pattern is actually shorter than this. I made these longer by about 3″. Otherwise, there were not changes made to the shorts. Also, here is the post I wrote about the first version of this top.

BRAS

The next group of items I made were bras. Being able to make my own bras has really been an awesome experience. The ones I make fit me better than many that I have bought. So the three grouped together are all Pin Up Girls Amanda T-shirt pattern. The one brown satin is Orange Lingerie Marlborough bra.

I have fabrics and findings for bra making, but I don’t really have kits. So I use what I have and try to coordinate to make what I want. But these Pin Up Girls bras are my favorites. They are full coverage bras that are comfortable and fit well. You purchase the foam cups, then cover them with fabric. I like the Orange Lingerie Marlborough bra too. It did take a bit more work to get this style to fit me.

TOPS

One of the tops I made was using Simplicity patterns 8920.

I used fabric from Minerva fabrics for this. I am a Minerva Maker. The blog post I wrote for their site is here. This fabric is fantastic! It’s bright and summery; great for the pattern I used.

Here’s a link to the fabric if you’d like to check it out for yourself.

The next tops were the Ogden cami from True Bias patterns. I had to make some changes to this to get a look and fit I wanted. But I’m very happy with how this final one (yellow & white) turned out.

This is a cool, comfortable top that can even be worn under a blazer when the weather transitions into fall. I can also see making this in different fabrics.

So that’s it for the month of June. I’m currently working on many things. Let me know in the comments what you’re up to.

Until next time…

Tag: Colette patterns

The Moneta Knit Dress

What I Made In June 2021