The Tulip Dress by The Assembly Line

The Assembly Line is a new-to-me pattern line out of Sweden. I stumbled across the Tulip dress pattern one day over at Etsy and it is was then that I researched this pattern line. They have some nice designs. I do recommend that you take a look if you're not familiar with this line.  This is my wearable toile.

The Pattern: 

I have to say, this is an extremely well drafted pattern. I had no problem with finding my size according to the pattern measurements. I will admit that I was worried for a moment about the fullness of the skirt, it was all for nothing. Everything came together without any issues.  

I cut a size medium for the sleeves and the upper portion of the bodice and dart placements.  The sides were graded from a medium at the underarm point / upper side of the bodice to a large at the waistline.  The skirt pieces were cut as a size large.  I shortened the length by four inches only to wish that I had another inch to an inch and a half. The length is still nice, just a personal preference and note for next time.  

The pockets were raised so that they sat two inches below the waistline seam. If I sewed them where they were marked to be sewn I wouldn't be able to reach the pockets. 

The instructions are well written and suitable for a beginner. I did, however, change how I constructed the dress from that of the instructions.  I preferred sewing the sleeve flat, used bias tape to finish the hems and neckline.  It is suggested to use interfacing stripes for the pockets and at the zipper opening but I passed that suggestion up and used basting tape for installing the zipper. This came in handy when negotiating the curves on the skirt back.  

This is my first pattern where the seam allowances were in metric and much narrower than North American commercial patterns.  The instructions suggest serging the edges before sewing the seams and this is why.  

Let me finish by saying this pattern is worth every penny spent. It's comfortable, so comfortable, love the look of those darts from the neckline in the front and any dress pattern that comes with pockets is a win. I'll be prepping my good fabric soon for the next version, in the meantime, I'll be wearing this toile.  

The Fabric & Notions: 

This 100% cotton fabric was found in the fabric stash, a home décor find when it made it's way to the discounted section. It's a medium weight cotton that was pretreated with a tumble in the washing machine, followed by the dryer and then a steam pressing before hitting the cutting table.  

I mentioned that the neckline and hems were finished with seam binding. The skirt hem alone took a package! This was sourced from the stash, left over from this project. The 22" (55 cm) invisible zipper and all the thread used were also found in the stash.   

The Stats:

Fabric:  3 metres

Basting tape:  1.10 metres

Seam Binding:  2 packages

Zipper:  22" invisible

Pattern:  D:105 The Tulip Dress

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Scissors, pins, cutting table, thread clippers, iron, ironing board, sleeve ham, pin cushions, sewing machine, walking foot, regular presser foot, invisible zipper foot, regular zipper foot, threads for the sewing machine and serger, serger, new sewing machine needle (don't sew over pins!), screwdriver, tailor's chalk, tracing paper, felt markers, measuring tape, measuring gauge, ruler, and chai tea.  

Happy Sewing!