Amalfi Dress by Hey June Patterns

Hi! I am excited to share my Amalfi Dress today by Adrianna of Hey June Patterns.



As the longest winter is hopefully wrapping up, I have been seeing patterns pop up with a blousey top and straight bottom. I have unsuccessfully tried to achieve this tucked in blousey look but the last time I think I was moderately successful was like thirty years ago. I'm still rectangular in shape but also softer. Anyone else crave comfort foods and being cozy/lazy when winter is freezing and dark and forever?



So what makes the Amalfi Dress different and how did I find myself pleasantly surprised that I can wear this silhouette? The first thing I noticed is the v neckline, which is my favorite neckline because I don't feel choked and it is flattering on my shape. The Amalfi dress is designed for lightweight drapey woven fabrics like rayon, poly, or silk. A drapier fabric leads to a sleeker vertical shape. I also love that even though the top is blousey there are darts for shaping through the bust. The dress has a magic french seamed elastic casing and a measurement table for the elastic. I measured the elastic around my waist and picked a comfortable measurement (larger than the guidelines) so that it would give shaping to my waist but not be so tight that it is unflattering to my belly. (important side note- this is the coolest casing I have ever sewn. I will definitely be using it as much as possible. I didn't know it was missing in my sewing repertoire and I am thrilled with how it looks!). The Amalfi Dress also has two lengths and the above the knee length is my favorite on me. I love how the tea length looks on the fabulous testers though! And the Amalfi Dress has POCKETS! (or pocketses, since we are currently listening to "The Hobbit").




This pattern has excellent instructions and illustrations to accompany each step. It can be printed in layers and there is a guideline to print only the pages you need. I love that it includes an alterations section for a full bust adjustment, lengthening and shortening, and raising or lowering the v neckline. It also includes instructions for staystitching and understitching, which are especially important with slippery fabrics. There are also plenty of notches to make sure everything lines up properly.



I sewed a size 12 based on my high bust measurement. I followed the instructions to do a one inch full bust adjustment (don't forget to adjust the skirt piece too, which is covered in the instructions) and to raise the neckline one inch. On my practice dress I felt like the v neckline as is was nice looking but when I bent over it opened a little more than I was comfortable with so I decided to raise the v a little and it's perfect for me. I used a very lightweight likely chambray from The Stash. I think it originated from Hancock Fabrics but I'm not sure. I did not shorten the skirt on my dress but I believe the final test version has the skirt shortened by an inch. I am 5'4" on a good day.



My new usual spot was taken by some guy in his truck talking on his phone so we had to come up with a plan b. This park worked well for Ansley to be able to take pictures from the heated car and I only spotted one or two awkward looks from park goers. Haha.







The Amalfi Dress is on sale (no code needed) to celebrate its release. (cue jazz hands) (aff link if you'd like- no additional cost to you). Thanks for stopping by!