I was asked by #sewmystyle creator Alex to do the top tips for this month’s challenge – the Bridgetown dress from Sew House Seven! (This post will also be on the Bluebird Fabrics blog here).

The Fit

The Bridgetown comes in sizes 0-20. You can make it ether a dress or a tunic with an optional band at the hem.

I made the View C dress which has the plain skirt.

If you are in between sizes in the hip, I recommend you go up one size as there isn’t a huge amount of ease in the skirt. There is plenty of ease in the bust though so if you’re the other way around (big bust/ small hips), you may want to size down. 

Because of the construction method in creating the elastic channel in the waist seam, it’s not a great idea to grade between sizes through the waist as this will affect how well that channel will sit. If you really need to grade up at size at the hip, it would be best to start grading at 5cm below the top edge of the skirt pattern.

The Fabric

The dress needs fabric with a lot of drape due to the design of the back of the dress. I made mine in a rayon challis I got in Paris last year and it hangs beautifully. It would also work in t-shirt weight jerseys or anything lightweight and drapey.

The Equipment

Nothing special is needed to make this dress – a standard sewing machine will do! I chose to use an overlocker to finish my seams but that’s totally a personal choice and you can finish them any way you want to. My only tip would be to use a new needle! These fine fabrics tend to snag a little more easily and a fresh needle will help with that! Don’t forget to switch to a ballpoint needle if you’re making yours in jersey

Sewing the Bridgetown

The way the fabric is cut means that the entire neckline is going to be prone to stretching out when you put the facing in. Stay stitching this will help prevent that from happening. Also, I found the back facings came out a lot longer than the bodice pieces. Don’t try to force them to match! It’s ok if the facings are a bit too long – I think mine went a couple of inches past the edge!

Other than that, this is a really simple and straightforward sew. I’m sure you’ll all whizz through it in no time!

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It’s a fun and floaty dress that’ll be perfect for the summer. I’ll be wearing mine with sandals and a belt for a great casual outfit. Don’t forget, you can wear this dress back to front as well! 2 looks in 1!

Sew House Seven are also running a Bridgetown sew along this month which starts today, 1st April. They’re covering a couple of different hacks which may help to inspire your dresses!

I hope you all enjoy making this dress as much as I have. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s creations in the coming month!