pattern tester roundup
Greta Dress Pattern Tester Roundup Part 1
Hello, my dear sewing friends. And a big thankyou for visiting with us today for Part 1 of our Greta Dress Rockstar Pattern Tester Roundups.
And let me say to you all – our Greta is THE dress that you must all have. Fabulous is design detail but so so easy to sew (even if I say so myself)
And let me say to you all – it is FLATTERING for most body shapes.
Made in a jersey weight metallic or velvet types, the design of the Greta allows for the dress to be worn for any number of occassions.
The Greta features a most gorgeous front cowl neckline, side front ruching in the skirt along with an option of centre back ruching on the back skirt (and let me say this back design element looks fabulous on EVERYONE).
The Greta also offers sleeveless, 3/4’s sleeve and a full length sleeve – the Greta offers something for everybody regardless of seasonal variations.
So, prepared to be be-dazzled my friends as our roadies share some tips and tricks when sewing your own Greta – part 1 of our Greta Dress Pattern Testers Roundup.
They would like to share with you the following.
1. Your name and where you live ?
2. What fabric combinations did you choose and where did you purchase.
3. What sewing tips can you share when sewing the Greta ?
4. What was your style choice for the Greta ?
5. What fit alterations did you have to make to the Greta ?
6. Have you worn your Greta – and if not what plans do you have for your dress ?
7. Any plans for future combinations of the Greta ?
And the finer details; (AU/UK) 6 – 30 (US) 2 – 26 (EU) 34 – 58
On Sale for a limited time only – $9.85(US)
Very Confident Advanced Beginner and Above Sewing level
Greta Dress
Hello, I am Allison from Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA). First and foremost this dress is everything!
I made the Greta dress from Lurex fabric purchased from Kiki Textiles found on Etsy. The first thing to know is make sure you are using fabric with 4 way stretch and with excellent recovery. I had never sewn with Lurex before but found the stretch needle work great.
The next step is to measure well. Getting a fabulous fit is what really makes this dress absolutely spectacular.
I made a teal Greta for my teen daughter. We choose the formal length for this dress. Both lengths are beautiful, somehow the long length really accents the design elements of this dress.
So far, she has only worn the dress for photos but received a whole slew of compliments. She styled her dress with four-inch heels. The entire look was absolutely stunning.
We have a second dress from a rose-mauve knit sequin fabric at the below knee length that just needs hemmed. Since the fabric did not have equal strength and recovery to the Lurex I sized up some.
I also have a burn out velvet to make this for me as well.
The final advice is you absolutely, definitely need this dress!
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064740155037
This is Brenda from The Netherlands, and I made 2 Greta dresses. The red one is made from sparkly Lycra from www.driessenstoffen.nl and the Velvet is from a Dutch wholesaler (I grabbed a bolt). Both fabrics are bought 2 years ago, so I don’t think they are in stock anymore.
The red one was my toile, but it was so good that I finished it. The Velvet is my first full length dress that is “gown worthy”. I always need to lengthen dresses like a lot when they need to be floor length. Other than that no adjustments needed.
I’m not the biggest party go-er so I’m not sure yet when I will wear them. I’m thinking Christmas 🎄?
I plan to hack this into a top for my next one.
Want to see more of my sewing: https://www.instagram.com/fabricfairybrenda/
Hi, I am Luana and I live in Raleigh, NC in the US, although these pictures were taken in Atlanta, GA.
Both my fabrics are metallic jersey that I bought at Fine Fabrics in Norcross, GA (just outside Atlanta). The lighter blue fabric is 4 way stretch while the navy blue one is 2 way stretch and slightly lighter.
There are few tips I can share for sewing the Greta: first of all, if you are using a 4 way stretch I strongly advice to use twill tape in the shoulders and sides seams. Another tip is to take your time while gathering and attaching the gathered fabric to the tape. My last tip is to add a tiny weight inside the cowl so it will drape nicely. I did that with both my dresses and I used curtain weights that I found on Amazon.
For both my dresses I chose the long version with back gathering and 3/4 sleeves. I also made another one in a silver metallic jersey without back gathering and sleeveless for warmer locations. I didn’t need to make any alteration to the original pattern.
I wore my light blue dress at the Christmas Party of my company and I received A TON of compliments all night. I also have to add that it was SO COMFORTABLE to wear all night, while still feeling super fancy!
My blog http://lmfcrafts.com
My Instagram https://instagram.com/lmfcrafts
Hi, here is Marieke from the Netherlands.
Let’s introduce a dress that is made to shine!
Depending on your fabric choice and which option, you can use it for many occasions.
A fully length dress with all the gathers for a New Years Eve party or for ballroom dancing, or a short dress with a simple back in a plain fabric for any nice evening out or just wear it at home or at work.
It is a genius design! It looks complicated and devine but it is actually sewed in a snap! Just pick the fabric you like, choose your size(s), sew and shine!
I felt in love with the long length and long sleeves option. It is wrong to think that dresses that are fully covering your body can’t look stunning. They do!
I used a black fabric with silver lurex thread in it and it’s sparkling elegant and makes me feel pretty sophisticated and it gives your self esteem a boost when during the photoshoot people are walking by and tell you how beautiful you look 🙂
I said my black dress, but I had to make another one, a golden mozaïk motive fabric was waiting in my closet to become a dress for the upcoming festive days. Well, I think I managed ^^.
Although I am normally more a ‘silver color girl’, this golden dress is gold! Lol
I can only give 1 advice: just do yourself a favor and make yourself the ultimative party dress! Happy sewing!
When you like, you can always have a look on my Instagram page for more inspiration:
Https://www.instagram.com/jongdesign
Hello from Sydney, Australia – my name is Meredith. I saw the new Greta dress and knew I had to try both the short and long versions and I have to admit I feel pretty special in both.
For my long version I used a shimmer knit in navy from Remnant Warehouse. I made the long version with the ruching on the back of the skirt and with ¾ sleeves. For my short version I used a gold metallic foil knit from Lush Fabrics and this dress I made sleeveless and with the straight back of the skirt. Both fabric stores located in Australia.
Greta is a relatively fast and easy sew and as with all DS patterns, the cut is perfect. The pattern has cup sizes and the fit is spot on. I did my usual adjustments grading from bust to hip and I also did a sway back adjustment … oh yes, and I shortened the length as I’m only 158cm.
My tip for the sewing Greta is to measure well, don’t skip using the elastic and stay tape (this helps especially with the longer version) and the bra stays.
We don’t tend to go out to many fancy places … our routine is more breakfast or lunch, but when my hubby saw both dresses, he said that we will have to ‘make the special occasion’ so that I can wear my Gretas. I love both of my dresses ❤
You can find pics of my Greta and other DS makes at https://www.instagram.com/sew_mere_makes/
Hi, my name is Meiling S and I live in Perth, Western Australia.
I used two metallic stretch fabrics www.homecraftextiles.com.au and a stretch velvet from www.spotlight.com.au
This was a super quick sew. Ensure the fabric has enough drape to capture the ruched sections correctly.
I made three sleeveless options, one short length with straight back and ruched front. One altered to be shorter than the shortest length with ruched fron and back, and one in long length with ruched front and back.
I altered the front piece as the cowl was sitting way too low for me. And the shorter than the shortest length needed to be tapered in more at the sides to sit right. I also ended up cutting the arm and neck binds a little longer as they didnt have enough stretch.
I wore my turquoise shorter length dress to a cocktail function. I did receive plenty of comments!
No plans for anymore Gretas at this stage after making 3! 😊
You can find me on my socials.
https://www.facebook.com/sewaholiccreations
https://www.instagram.com/sewaholiccreations
Hi! I’m Stephanie from Oklahoma, USA. I absolutely fell in love with a velvet sample I saw of Greta and rushed off to find some. Luckily, a local fabric store, OKC Farbic Market, always has great options for me and the gold on a blue base did not disappoint. Greta is a stunning dress that is surprisingly simple to make for how gorgeous it is. Make a toile and you won’t be disappointed. Because we haven’t had a company party in several years, I went with the plain back, knee length. Figured I’d just look extra special one day at work, but behold we’re having a work party this year and I’m very excited to wear this and wish I’d gone full length now. Oh well, I’ll still look smashing, but if I find a fabric I love I’ll probably make a full length one as well now.
Check out my Greta and other makes on instagram.com/scrapsandscissortails
Hi everyone and happy holidays! My name is Sue and I live in South Dakota. For my fit garment, I used a faux stretch velvet from JoAnns. For my final, I wanted a wowza dress, and used a gold metallic look fabric I purchased from Amazon. I love this gold with the leopard print belt and shoes! I live in an area of the United States where it is COLD in the winter months, so long sleeves were a must when I made this dress. I chose the back ruching because of the unique design feature and I have to say I love it! I am thinking I need a black, sleeveless version of this dress for the warm months. You can see more photos of the beautiful design on my Instagram account at: https//www.instagram.com/sue_glasparrott/ or on Facebook at https://www.Facebook.com/sue.parrott
Greetings from California, I’m Tina. For my Greta I used this beautiful Rose Gold Luxe from Surge Fabric Shop and it so easy to work with! https://surgefabricshop.com/…/rose-gold-lurex-cube-poly… . Greta is actually a fast sew despite the beautiful details. I definitely recommend not skipping out of the elastic and stay tape, especially if making the maxi option. I made the dress lenght with 3/4 sleeves and it’s such a timeless classic look. The only adjustments I had to do was remove some length for my perfect dress. I can’t wait to attend the holiday parties in my Greta and will definitely be making more!
Hello! I’m Meredith from Sydney, Australia and I have made my Greta dress in a Dusty Pink Gold Shimmer Double Knit (https://www.pitttrading.com.au/…/dusty-pink-gold…) from Pitt Trading.
The Greta dress is a fantastic pattern which comes together really quickly and is a fast satisfying sew with the usual excellent sewing tips and tricks you can rely upon when sewing a Designer Stitch pattern. My sewing tips for Greta include using a basic zig-zag for greater control of the pieces – I skipped the overlocker this time and take your time with the gathers. The double-knit fabric was a little tricky to get the neckline to sit in a nice cowl so I used a blind hem stitch to make the neckline sit nicely (this is not in the instructions but worked a treat on my version and I tested this technique first).
Greta does all the talking when it comes to styling – as I made the sleeve-less full length back ruched version. I simply added statement earrings with my dress for extra sparkle.
I have made Greta in a straight size 7. My fit alterations included a sway back adjustment. There is an excellent tutorial for this adjustment at https://designerstitch.com/pattern-alteration-for-a-sway…/
I have worn my Greta to a formal event and have plans to wear it at a New Eve’s Year party in Bangkok.
I am looking forward to making a knee-length Greta with sleeves for a more corporate look in the cooler months. There plans for a lined sequin version also – stay tuned – so many possibilities.
You can find pics of my Greta dress at https://www.instagram.com/all_in_a_ruffle
Hi! I am Petra from Slovenia, Europe. For my Greta I used soft spakly knit from a local fabric store (https://svetmetraze.si/…/pletivo-tanjse-nanos-26219-001…). Greta is so fast and easy to sew, with phenomenal results and a definite WOW factor. My advice would be read the instructions, especially the cutting layout beforehand.
I made a short version of the Greta with the back rouching, and only an additional inch in the bodice length was needed for the perfect fit.
As the fabric I used is really out there I will wear it for christmas dinner and other special occasions, but I plan to make another Greta in more subtle fabric and without rouching to wear to the office. It will be just perfect. 🙂
My ig is www.instagram.com/5raaiko/
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