April Rhodes Party Dress

Today I am showing off my Party Dress from the Riding Peplum & Party Dress pattern by April Rhodes.  I really love this dress– it’s so comfortable and fun.  The pattern is great; it’s a pull on style with waist darts for some shaping and a full, twirly skirt.  The skirt has a subtle high-low hem, which is all the rage these days.

This dress (and the peplum top) is a really quick sew since there aren’t any closures.  The neckline and arms are finished with bias tape.  On this dress I used a contrasting black and white bias tape for fun.  I like knowing that there are special details inside the garments I make.  Again I used all french seams for that clean finish I love.

I got a lot of wear out of this dress in the colder months when I could layer it with a cardigan and leggings.  The front of the skirt is shorter than I typically wear and I think it’s best (for me) to pair it with leggings.  I want to make another one of these dresses without the high-low hem and with the skirt hitting at knee length.

The fabric I used is a quilting cotton from Michael Miller.  It’s from the Waterfront Park collection and it’s called Flight Black.  I cut a size medium for the front bodice and a large for the back bodice and graded out to a large for the skirt.

This pattern is a big hit with me! I’ve made 2 versions of the top (to be blogged soon!) and one dress.  I’m always pleased when I can get a lot of mileage from a pattern right off the bat.  I’ve seen some fun mixed print versions, which I hadn’t thought about doing. That is another great customization idea for this top or dress.

~Teri