Hi, guys! Hope you are all well! I’m really excited you to show you my new (by which I mean “month-old” dress) today! I haven’t been good at keeping up with blogging over the last year or so, but I didn’t want this dress to have the same fate as my beloved by never-blogged (or even Instagrammed, WHAT?!) Colfax dress and two Inari dresses (in case I never do blog them, know that I love both patterns and the end results quickly shot up the list to become most-worn garments).
This dress felt like a monumental achievement- I’ve wanted, for maybe 5 years now, to make a special Christmas dress, but every year I get too close to the holiday and run out of time. But when my semester ended a week before Christmas, I dropped everything and got to work on this dress! I’m so pleased that I had something fun and festive to wear on the holiday, but that it doesn’t seem too Christmas-y to wear all winter long.
This pattern is the Grainline Studio Farrow dress, which I find really cute and versatile. I really liked sewing it up- the pockets are constructed in a super clever way that was really satisfying to work through. The pattern pieces for the dress front look really untraditional, but they’re fun to stitch up. I made my usual 1/2″ narrow shoulder alteration, but otherwise sewed it up as is. For the next go-round I’d lengthen the sleeves just a bit, which is something I frequently do.
What WASN’T fun was sewing this dress up in plaid. Ahahahahaha… I was sewing on a deadline, so, obviously, the best thing to do was to use plaid for something with a center front seam and pockets sewn into a waist seam. Ooh boy… cutting this out took forever, and pinning it, and stitching it super slowly with my walking foot. OK, the whole thing was super slow! I matched the pieces for the dress front first, but then I started to get stressed about running out of fabric, so I eliminated the waist seam on the back pieces to conserve fabric and time.
The fabric is this Robert Kaufman Mammoth Flannel (Amazon affiliate link). I was digging around in my stash for something suitable in a sufficient quantity for this pattern, but when I had nothing, it dawned on me that I could use an Amazon gift card for fabric! It was really hard to decide which plaid to use, but I’m glad that I went with this one in the end. I really like the fabric- it’s very thick and squishy, with crepe-like twisted yarns that give it a nice textured feel. It’s very warm and nice, which I appreciate in a winter dress. It feels thicker to me than normal flannel, so keep that in mind if you are going to make something with lots of layers of fabric. I had to grade the seams really aggressively at some points, like where the center front seam meets the pockets, to keep things from getting too lumpy.
Overall, I’m really happy with this dress. It’s cozy and casual, but I can also imagine making a dressier version out of silk or wool crepe. Make one!
The perils of shooting photos in the wind! 🙂
Ginger Makes... 
OMG! This dress is perfect! I never would have thought of making this pattern out of a plaid flannel but it works so well. You did an amazing job on the pattern matching.
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Thank you, Camille! I have a bit of an addiction to plaid flannel and I use it whenever I can! 🙂
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I love this on you!! And you KILLED IT at plaid matching!!
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Thanks, Meg!
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I absolutely love this! I’m always drawn to buy plaids but regret my decision as soon as its time to cut out. I’m very impressed with your matching!
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I’m right there with you! Every time I want to make a buttondown, I always want to make it in plaid, and then I’m gritting my teeth as I try to get it matched all the way across the shirt. 😀
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This looks fantastic on you. I love the length! And holy hell I cannot believe that plaid matching on the center front seam. Brava!
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Thanks, Dani! The length really is perfect- it’s a bit longer in the back, too, which is nice for climbing subway steps or bending over.
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I think the extra time was worth it, your plaid matches perfectly. Your dress is lovely and you look great in it.
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Thank you very much, Ann!
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Wow! Totally can’t tell there is a seam down the front. Great plaid matching! Love the dress, and how nice to have something so comfortable for holiday festivities. Super smart!
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Thanks, Lisa! I’m sure I’ll be wearing this every December!
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The plaid match is EVERYTHING! I love this pattern and keep going back and forth on buying it. This amazing dress is pushing me closer to the edge! Great job and girl you are crazy standing in the snow and the wind!
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It’s so fun to sew! I bet you would have the coolest take on this pattern!
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It’s amazing! Can’t believe you matched all those plaids… you have patience greater than I! So worth it though because it looks great.
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I was feeling pretty impatient while I did it! But I really love plaid so it was worth it in the end. 🙂
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Really cute dress and those checks were worth matching. Looks so bold and happy.
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Thank you, Kerry!
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It’s early in the year but I think you win check matching award of 2017! Amazing!
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Thanks, Sarah! After this I went to work on a striped coat. Let’s just say that I’m ready to use nothing but random patterns or solids from here on out! 😀
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This dress is PERFECT. And you wear it so well! I adore the fabric and fit.
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Thank you, Cathryn! 🙂
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Gorgeous in this plaid Ginger- that gray and red is so lovely. I’m a big fan of Grainline – I don’t have this one yet but it’s on my list for sure and seeing yours is a BIG nudge 🙂
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Ooh, you should try it! It’s a very wearable style (for me, at least). Not too dressy, not too casual!
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Love your version! The pattern matching is amazing.
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Thank you so very much!
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It looks amazing on you!! So warm and cozy but still stylish! I can’t believe there’s a seam down the middle, you can’t tell at all!
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Thank you, Kathryn!
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Beautiful! There’s nothing cozier than flannel (says the Canadian) and plaids seem even cozier than plain flannel. Your smile says how much you love wearing it. Thanks for sharing with us.
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I agree! Flannel is just the ticket for long winters! 🙂
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Bloody amazing plaid matching!! So awesome x
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Thank you, Caroline! 🙂
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I never would have thought to buy fabric on Amazon, though I’m not sure why, since I buy so much other stuff there! The plaid matching is perfect, and choosing a more versatile fabric for a Christmas dress was brilliant.
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I love to support local shops, but for things like this (Robert Kaufman, etc) or quilting cottons, it’s nice to be able to use a gift card!
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Love your dress! If you haven’t written, that this dress has a center front seam, I wouldn’t have noticed it…
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Ahh, thank you so much!
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Wow, you are ambitious with your last minute sewing! It’s so cute on you Love it!
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Thanks, girl! Once I got started, I was so amped to actually be sewing that it powered me through the whole thing! 🙂
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So cute on you! Love the print too. Worth all that plaid-matching 🙂
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This is SO YOU. I love it! And you have been missed so much! Great make.
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I adore this dress! (Yours is the first version I’ve seen that makes me want to consider this pattern–it’s that cool!) What a great idea to make it in a plaid flannel, too: warm AND pretty. 🙂 I am curious about whether you lined it…you know, for science*.
*And by “science,” I mean “so that I can totally copy off of you and make a flannel tent-ish dress.”
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I didn’t line it- I wasn’t sure how much thickness I’d be dealing with, so I skipped it, but I imagine you could draft a lining pattern based on Jen’s tutorial for making a version without pockets?
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Thanks for answering my question! 😀 I’m sure you’re right, drafting a lining couldn’t be too hard with that tutorial to reference. (You should get a finder’s fee for making people want this pattern, LOL!)
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LOL! It really is a nice pattern and so versatile!
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cute beyond words! I love your farrow dress
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Thank you, Sasha! 🙂
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I love this dress Sonja! Your hard work definitely paid off, because that plaid is fantastic!
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So cute! ❤ I really like it! Good job!
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