pattern tester roundup
Whitney Dress or Blouse Pattern Tester Roundup Part 1
Hi Ho my lovely sewist friends. And thankyou for coming over to read all about our ever amazing rockstar pattern tester roadies for all that is Whitney Dress or Blouse.
And what a beauty she is. Our Whitney offer two absolutely distinct looks – and of course – bang-on-fashion trends.
Choose from Whitney Dress in all of her sporty chic-ness. This look offers a rib collar and cuff, an invisible centre front neckline zipper, soft gathers back to a shoulder yoke, elastic waistline with mock drawstring and a lower ruffle with high low hemline that rises shorter at the front to create the illusion of longer legs.
Or choose to make the Whitney Blouse in all of her Feminine Frills vibe. This style offers a relaxed straight body fit along with soft gathers back to a shoulder yoke, a collar stand with frill that adds a beautiful feminine touch. Add the subtle bishop sleeve with shirred elasticated cuffs – both as a long length that can be worn at the wrist line – or its short sleeve – along with an invisible CF neckline zipper.
Whatever style you decide to make your Whitney in – and you will want both – she is a flattering forever and functional shape that you keep wearing it time after time.
So my friends prepare to be dazzled and wow’ed when you see our roadies in all of their absolute gorgeous-ness.
You will see the Whitney highlighting both vibes along with some gorgeous fabric and textiles choices.
Our rockstar roadies are just absolutely fabulous.
Everyone – a standing ovation for them all. It is LOVE 💗
And our roadies would like to share the following with you all :
1. Your name and where you live ?
2. Your choice of option for the Whitney Dress and Blouse and why ?
3. What fabric did you choose and where did you purchase ?
4. What alterations did you have to make to your Whitney Dress and Blouse toile ?
5. What sewing tips can you share when sewing the Whitney Dress and Blouse ?
6. What was your favourite thing about making the Whitney Dress and Blouse ?
7. Did you make more than one combo of the Whitney Dress and Blouse ?
8. Have you worn your Whitney Dress and Blouse yet and what compliments did you receive.
And the finer details;
(AU/UK) 6 – 30
(US) 2 – 26
(EU) 34 – 58
Cup Sizes – B, C, D, DD
On Sale for a limited time only – $9.75(US)
Very Confident Advanced Beginner and Above Sewing level
Hello I’m Ashley R from London, I’m excited to share with you the amazing Whitney dress pattern!
Whitney comes with a option of two different options dress or blouse also different sleeve lengths and finishes. I went for the dress length with cuffed neck and cuffs on my long sleeves.
I used a non stretch viscose fabric it had a nice drape for my dresses which I felt worked really well.
My tip, a toile is much needed to make sure it sits on your waist at the right length, you don’t want to waste good fabric.
Also If any adjustments are needed you can do them before working on your good fabric. Make sure you follow the instruction and take your time.
I shorten the bodice a little to get it to sit at my waistline and taking just over an inch from the middle skirt to count for my 5 foot height, I made a size 1b.
I love the details in this pattern from the gathers on the sleeves and front bodice to the invisible front zip. It’s a dress that can be worn in summer with sandals or winter with tights and boots.
I feel amazing in this the fit is perfect, I’ve taken my Whitney dress for a for drinks and my friends said that the dress really suited me.
Hi, I’m Barbara and I live in Northeast Mississippi, USA. I use a designer deadstock Bolivar Camouflage Specks Rayon Challis purchased from LAFinchfabrics.com to make my Whitney dress. For the collar and cuffs, I used a ribbing from an Etsy seller. For my Whitney top, I used matte satin from HobbyLobby.com. The collar and cuff ribbing is from Moodfabrics.com.
My sewing tip is when working with slippery fabrics, finish your raw edges prior to sewing, you’ll thank yourself later!
For my Whitneys, I chose the ribbed collar and bishop sleeves for both the top and dress.
I have not worn my Whitneys yet, but plan on wearing them this holiday season!
Next up is the shirred summer version!
Hello Lovelies, this is Brenda from The Neterlands.
For my Whitney I used a Chiffon that I bought at www.royallook.nl.
As a sewing tip I’m going to say, use a lot of pinns and really take a thin fabric. My toille was a viscose and that was to thick.
I made a blouse because I wear a lot of pants. This blouse combines perfect with my leather pants as you can see in the pictures.
For my Whitney I only did my regular alterations.
Since it is cold here in the Netherlands I have not worn mine apart from the picture moment. I will start wearing it in spring when it is warmer.
Want to see more of my sewing: https://instagram.com/fabricfairybrenda
1. Lianne and I live in sunny Singapore.
2. Chiffon from spotlight
3. Practice shirring before making it. If you extend the zip about 2 inches it will be perfect for nursing (and it doesn’t look like those frumpy nursing dresses).
4. Dress with frilled collar and short sleeves.
5. No alterations -straight size 2
6. No not yet.. I’m waiting for an excuse to wear it
7. Yes! The same combination just different fabric and a longer zip.
8.
Hey, I am Girl in Uniform Lieve from Belgium.
For this fabulous Whitney, I used a flowing viscose fabric from ‘Reuvers Stoffen’ in the Netherlands.
I chose the dress with neckline and wrists in border fabric, a spicy and modern version. Because my cuffs were too narrow, I made the sleeves a few centimetres longer. I also did a sway back adjustment, but otherwise I didn’t change the pattern at all. During the photo shoot, my husband commented that the Whitney reminded him of ‘The Little House on the Prairie’ and I like that comment, because I always watched that series as a young girl. The dress is completely out of my comfort zone, but I am extremely happy with it.
This will be my party dress at Christmas!
You can follow on www.girlsinuniformblog.com or on www.instagram.com/girlsinuniformblog
Hi! My name is Sonia and I live in SW Missouri, USA with my husband and our fur baby Dune. For my Whitney I used a lightweight chiffon with the most beautiful drape that I purchased from my local fabric warehouse. Unfortunately they do not sell online.Some tips that I can share when sewing your Whitney is to finish your seams for a beautiful garment and added strength and take your time when sewing the invisible zip.
I made the ruffle collar blouse with shirred short sleeves. I absolutely love the classic look this style brings. The blouse can easily be dressed up or dressed down depending on your needs.
As I have broad shoulders I extended the shoulders by lessening the back shoulder dart and shortened the length by about 2″ as I am only pushing 5’1.
I have worn my Whitney out and can see that this blouse along with other styles will be in high rotation.
I have a dress cut out now and plan on making some more blouses. I would love to try the rib collar and sleeve combination.
My Facebook Page is www.facebook.com/sewonandsowforth
my blog and website is www.sewonsowforth.com
and my IG is www.instagram.com/sewsowforth
Hello DesignerStitch community. My name is Taryn and I hail from Cape Town South Africa.
My first intention was to sew from my stash but when I found myself in a local fabric treasure trove called Kwaai Lappies (for another project) the sweetest pale pink kitty print georgette jumped out at me, that plan went out the proverbial window. And when I found grey ribbing (precuts) for the collar and cuffs, the decision was made.
On the sewing tips side of things – read the instructions carefully – both the step you are on and the next step. It will save you time seam ripping and save your delicate fabric from seam ripper nightmares too. If there is any uncertainty in a step, looking ahead to the next few steps I find often helps me make sense of what I need to do. I ended up recutting my yoke pieces (fortunately I had extra fabric) and repeating the step because I did not read carefully and had to redo that step.
I chose to go with the long sleeve dress view with rib collar and cuff. I used some drawstring with bobbles on the end to create the faux drawstring effect detailed in the pattern. Given the ease built into this pattern, I did not have to make many adjustments for fit other than to grade between sizes.
When wearing a DesignerStitch creation, I invariably get the question “Is this one you made?” from those that know me. It is quickly followed by a beautiful dress or complement to my skills or creativity. This time around, it came with the “I must commission you to make me one”. And while I am not sure I am ready to take on that level of stress, it does make me feel good that what I created from Ann’s beautiful design, someone else would gladly add to their wardrobe.
I have been practicing my shirring skills so do want to have a go at a shirred and ruffle collar blouse version in a sheer fabric.
I am looking forward to getting some quality and quantity time in my sewing room in my upcoming December holiday so if you want to see what I get up to, come check in on me at
Toni CMN
Ann – I made no fit alterations. Used a rayon crepe material from Joann’s fabric store I had previously purchased with stretch velvet cuffs, also from Joann’s.
I haven’t worn mine yet. I love that it goes with my work wear skirt and plan to wear it soon.
My social information:
Http://archmom.com , @antoinettemcnulty on IG and Toni Cardenas McNulty on FB. Still planning to make a short sleeve version!
Greetings from Allison F in Milwaukee, WI, USA. I made two Whitney dresses, a toile (wearable) and a final.
The toile is made from a lightweight rayon fabric from Boho Fabrics. The fabric is a classic navy with a gold window pane design.
Both dresses have the stand collar with ruffle and shirred cuffing on the long sleeves.
The final is a mystery fabric. I would say it is a silky, just barely opaque rayon fabric. It is a white base with a variegated deep purple design.
For fitting I needed to add some length to both the bodice and the sleeve to accommodate my figure for a flattering and comfortable fit.
I wear the navy dress with brown boots for a classic autumn look. The white and purple dress is dressier by nature of the fabric.
Since it is cold here, I wore it with a pair of black heeled boots and a wrap belt for definition.
Whitney dress is not a super fast sew. I recommend taking your time with this dress. The details in this dress are not hard. They do require attention to detail.
The details in the dress are what make it designer quality.
I have received glowing compliments when I wore either of the dresses.
If I can find the right fabric, I would love to make another one for Christmas. I can’t decide if I want a rich gold colored fabric or a deep red.
Hi everyone! I’m Huike from Singapore. I made 2 Whitney tops and both are so so lovely to wear. I made my white one using chiffon and the ruffled collar with the beautiful sleeves gives off a lovely romantic feel while the blue one in rayon and ribbed knit feels so easy to wear.
I love wearing mine with shorts as an everyday wear during cooler weather. It helps that the fabrics i chose is light and airy which counters the fact that they are both long sleeves. Where I live, it’s sunny and hot all year round so it’s important to stay cool even while wearing long sleeves 😎
I also tried to pair my Whitney blouse with a red skirt and tied it in front for a different look – i think it’s very versatile!
If u like to see more of my makes, I’ll be very happy for you to follow me on instagram at www.instagram.com/kekesews
Hi, I am Danielle from Brazil.
I used viscose and ribbing, which I bought at a street shop, to make my Whitney Blouse.
Make sure to choose a drapey fabric to make it. I did the top version with rib collar and cuffs.
The only alteration I did was shorten bodice, sleeves and cuffs for height.
Now I am planning to make a dress with ruffle collar and shirred sleeves.