A Stitching Odyssey: Floral Myosotis Dress

It's taken the sewing world by storm, but the Myosotis Dress by Deer and Doe was a slow-burner for me. I was convinced that all the body and flounce of the pattern would swamp my frame, but I couldn't be happier to be proved wrong. 

I have geniuses like Fiona (Diary of a Chain Stitcher) and Bianca (Sleepless in Bavaria) to thank, for giving me the idea of adding waist ties to the dress. Doing so gave me that extra bit of shaping which allowed me to carry off this style.

It's such a romantic silhouette that I felt compelled to pair it with an equally feminine fabric, so I opted for the most gorgeous floral viscose from Fabric Godmother. Sadly, it's now sold out, but Josie has many more beauties on offer. 

A sudden rush of bravery led me to go big or go home, so I plumped for both sleeve and skirt ruffles.  Usually, I hate gathering fabric and avoid it where possible, but this time round it was oddly therapeutic and satisfying. The only fiddly part of construction is the mandarin collar, and admittedly, mine turned out a little uneven. I'm ok with that as my hair covers it 90% of the time, but I'm not a massive fan of that collar style on me and I omitted it for my second version - yep, I've already made  another Myosotis! 

Due to the pattern's floaty nature, I sized down to a straight size 40 and I'm pretty happy with the fit. It irks me a little that from behind the ties don't sit on the waistline (see pic above) despite lining them up with it on the side seams and I suspect it's because I've used drapey fabric that is weighed down by the ruffles. I could also perhaps narrow the shoulders and shorten the sleeves a touch, but these are just minor quibbles.

Minor quibbles aside, not only do I feel fabulous in my Myosotis Dress, I get SO many compliments when I wear it. Lots of people have even asked me to make them one, which is sweet, but never going to happen...haha!

Are you a Myosotis fan?