pattern tester roundup
Luana Dress Pattern Tester Roundup Part 2
Hey friends and thank you for coming over to Part 2 of the Luana Dress Pattern testers roundups.
Let me just say everybody – wearing your Luana will make it a night you will never forget!
The timeless silhouette of the Luana makes it the perfect cocktail or semi-formal dress.
Every time we release a new sewing pattern I am always blown away by our fabulous roadies style interpretation of the style itself.
And the Luana is just a fabulous example of stunning style, stunning choice and stunning confidence!
The Luana Mix and Match Party Dress checks all of the boxes as it is ALL about the DETAILS.
There are options galore to make the dress your very own.
So lets get stuck into Part 2 of the Luana Pattern Tester Roundups.
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 Luana?
4. What was your style choice for the Luana?
5. What fit alterations did you have to make to the Luana?
6. Have you worn your Luana yet and what compliments did you receive.
7. Any plans for future combinations of the Luana?
And the finer details; (AU/UK) 6 – 30 (US) 2 – 26 (EU) 34 – 58
Cup Size Choices – a, B, C, D and DD
On Sale for a limited time only – $10.95
Very Confident Advanced Beginner and Above Sewing level.
Luana Dress
What an absolutely fabulous pattern from Designer Stitch. The options on this dress abundant. I am from Milwaukee, WI USA. My dress went a different direction than originally intended.
My young adult daughter invited me to join her at her work’s holiday party that has a Gatsby theme. So, I switched plans when I remembered I had yards and yards of a black sequined lace in my stash that would be just right. Then how to finish for that 1920’s look. I decided to add rows of fringe at the hem. Turned out fabulous.
It doesn’t matter if you are working with knit or woven, making a fit piece is vital. Getting the fit right on this dress makes all the difference. I decided to make my dress with the boat neckline, three quarters sleeve, and the straight skirt. The only adjustment I had to make for myself was to grade the sleeve opening smaller for a slimmer fit.
Since I choose a sequined lace as my main material, the entire dress is lined. The lining I choose has a low sheen, rather than a matte finish to accentuate the sequins. This dress is hemmed a bit backwards. The lace over is shorter than the lining due to the rows of fringe. That was a challenge! Keeping it all straight and overlapped.
I do have plans for another dress. This one will also have the straight skirt, but adding the flounce. I have a rather ornate belt buckle for the second one. We will see how I feel about that when I get it made up.
I have only worn the black one for photos at this time. It was bitter cold when I took the pictures. All the other people were inside where it was warm.
Allison F.
Hellow sewists,
This is Brenda from The Netherlands.
I’ve sewn 2 different versions of this wonderfull dress already. One sleeveles with a pencil skirt and one with the 1 1/2 skirt and the flounce sleeves. They both give off completely different vibes but are equally stunning.
I’ve worn my sleeves version when I went for drinks with a friend, and today I wanted to wear my swing dress version to the office, but I was sick so I didn’t go to work. It will have to wait till next time.
For this dress I did my usuall alterations, nothing different. I just love it when patterns are consistend and I am able to do it like that.
I’ll probably make another sleeves one for summer in the future, but that will have to wait a couple of months since it’s nearly winter here.
My instagramm is: https://www.instagram.com/fabricfairybrenda/
Love Brenda
Hi, my name is Carmen, and I am from Pennsylvania, USA. I used a red satin fabric from Jo-Ann Fabric. My advice when sewing the Luana party dress is to add the horsehair braid to the full skirt. It makes it twirl so wonderfully. I chose the sweetheart neckline, sleeveless, and full skirt in the shorter length. I shortened the bodice front and back to accommodate being 5 ft 3 in.
I have not yet worn my Luana, but everyone I showed pictures to said it was awesome, amazing, and VA-VA-VOOM! I would like to make another Luana using flocked scuba for the bodice and satin for the skirt.
IG: https://instagram.com/roprincez
My name is Elise and I live in Queenslnad Australia. I have made my Luana out of beautiful suiting with amazing drape. I feel like a princess in this dress, the pleated capped sleeves are just gorgeous. I slightly tweaked my dress and have a circle skirt and not 1 1/2 circle skirt. This was based on the weight of my fabric. Only other alteration I required was reducing the bodice length by 1 inch, my skirt is very heavy. Luana is quite a quick and easy sew. The hemming is probably the longest part….so much hemming, it goes on and on…totally worth it for the twirl. The only step that can be a tad tricky is binding the arm holes. Just take your time and use lots of pins, it’s not hard just fiddly. This dress is really special so I am saving my Luana’s for Christmas, I can’t wait to float around like a Christmas princess.
Hi my name is Jocelyn, and I’m in the USA.
Fabric I chose was a woven with some stretch from a local mom and pop fabric store. I chose this fabric because of the weight, the design (gold 3D polka dots ), and the knit in it (for movement and to still fit into it for those holiday party food gains ♀️ Lol. I had an inspiration photo in choosing the style options that I did here—boatneck, bishop sleeve, pencil skirt with flounce. I chose the combination of it all so I could wear it for a variety of events—holiday party with colored heels and accessories, business event with black heels and belt, but also for a date night or church. I love how versatile this dress is!! Because of my size, I did make a few adjustments—a small bust adjustment, shortened the skirt (next time I won’t shorten it as much), pulled up and modified the neckline at the shoulder to stay on me better with my narrow shoulders, and widened the top of the darts in the skirt. The most difficult part was the darn gathering at the wrist! I plan on making this same dress/design options but with a knit, make the wrist part longer and maybe fringe on the flounce; and a third dress, with the bodice in one color and skirt in a different color— a sweetheart neck with the bishop sleeves and circle skirt. I actually wore my black/gold Luana last night at a business event and it was a smash! All the people who commented on my dress loved it and couldn’t believe I made it. Some weren’t surprised since a few know I sew lol
https://www.instagram.com/stitchingitdone/
Hi, I’m Lindsie, the FBA queen behind Sew Busty. I chose to make the boat neck sleeveless bodice and combine that with the circle skirt for a retro vibe. At the bust, I made a 3DD with a 4″ full bust adjustment on top of the DD and graded this to a size 6.5 at the waist down. I also rounded the resulting darts to offer a bit more cinching at the under bust. I chose a black and gold brocade from Joann Fabrics, perfect for the holidays! My hem has horsehair in it to help it stand out, in a true vintage fashion. I also made a peplum top from the pattern as a muslin — altering the skirt to be significantly shorter and a bit less flared. It’s a gorgeous top. I definitely want to try the sweetheart neck with a pencil skirt at some point!
sewbusty.com
Sew Busty
instagram.com/sewbusty
My name is Sophie, I live in Vienna. I got this beautiful embossed jacquard fabric and matching organza for the sleeves from Selfmade Vienna.
For my Luana, I chose to sew the scoop neck, gathered bishop sleeves and 1 1/2 circular skirt, I used the 23 1/2“ cutline. I added the self fabric tie but using the „wrong side of the fabric for a bit of contrast.
The only alteration to the pattern was shortening the back bodice 5/8“.
I haven’t worn my dress out yet but with the holiday season around the corner I’m sure it will be soon
I had my girlfriend photograph me this time and she was so in love with the dress. I’m lucky we aren’t the same size
❤️ https://www.instagram.com/sophie_magico/
Hi! My name is Sue Glas-Parrott and I live in South Dakota. For my final dress, I used a dress weight gaberdine I’ve had in my stash for several years. I had just enough for this dress. Success with this dress is ensuring the bodice fits perfectly and this may require more than one toile. In the end, the time you invest in achieving a perfect fit is worth every minute involved.
My sewing tip is to baste your seams together and tweak the fit.
I love the boat neck design along with the cute pleated sleeves to create a dress that’s perfect for a special occasion both now and in the future.
My alterations included a swayback adjustment at the center back seam and also lowering the back neckline by 1/2” to eliminate upper back pooling of fabric which tends to happen on boat neck designs. I also made a sloping shoulder adjustment, this is typical for me,
I have not worn my Luana yet but plan to! This is the perfect design for a stylish and classic design. I want to make the dress with the full skirt in the near future.
You can find me on IG at: https://instagram.com/sue_glasparrott…
Hello Designer Stitchers. My name is Taryn from Cape Town, South AFrica. I am so excited to share my beautiful Luana. Our theme colour for our family Christmas dinner is green for this year and so I was keen to find something suitable that would fit the bill. I was thrilled to find some emerald embossed duchesse satin at Studio 47 fabrics to work with. I chose the longest length circle skirt as my preference is for my skirts to hit below the knee. I loved the modern feel of the tab sleeve and on advice from Ann during the test, chose the scoop neckline.
Sewing a circle skirt (especially one that is more than a full circle) can seem intimidating but there are loads of tips and tricks on how to get it right. First it is important to let your dress hang for a bit before levelling the hem. Using my dress form, I carefully measured the length (from the floor is best) marking the levelling point right around the skirt and then cut. To make hemming easier, I did a basting stitch at the turning width away from the serged hem edge. I turned the hem over at this stitching line and then a second time before pressing and stitching and so the basting stitches don’t show once completed. I can’t wait to wear my Luana on Christmas Eve! As for the future versions of Luana – I might just have a few ideas up my sleeve involving a removable lace circle skirt overlay and am keen to master the exposed zipper. But first, I have a few more Christmas sewing projects to complete including 3 sets of Pajamas for Christmas Eve. Keep an eye out for my next sewing adventure by following me on http://www.instagram.com/creatazzly or http://www.facebook.com/creatazzly
Hello I’m Tina from California. I’m here to tell you that you absolutely need the Luana Party Dress in your wardrobe!! It’s perfect for all occasions and a wonder pattern for all seasons. I went with the sweetheart bodice, pleated sleeves and the circle skirt. I used this beautiful and fun custom fabric from The Creative Critter Collective Custom Fabric.
Before cutting into your favorite fabric I percent recommend sewing up a toile to see what adjustments you’ll need to make in order to achieve the perfect fit for you. I did adjust the bodice lenght and did my usual sway back adjustments for my perfect Luana Dress. I plan on wearing my dress either for Christmas or New Year’s and definitely for Easter! Once the adjustments have been made, sewing up the actual dress is pretty fast. I will definitely be sewing up the other options as soon as I get more fabulous fabrics.