Summertime Dress Sewing with the Sofilantjes Vallis Dress

The summer heat is in full effect in my part of the world (North Texas). In fact, we are having a bit of a heat wave. It has been hovering between 105-108 for many days now, and the sun just feels relentless. I am in that part of the summer that feels like fall may never come so I am still sewing all the summer staples. My latest sewing project was a quick Vallis Dress by Sofilantjes.

Getting Started

To start on the pattern, I had to decide size, tunic or dress, and whether I wanted a natural waist or empire waist bodice. I chose the dress version (woohoo, no pants!) with a natural waist in a size 34. I did a FBA (full bust adjustment). I chose my size based on my upper bust, and then, I added 1.5 inches to the bust of the pattern by using the slash and spread method detailed in the pattern. To determine how much I needed to add I took the difference between my full bust and the bust listed for the pattern size I was making (3 inches) and divided this number in half since the bust piece is cut on the fold. It is really a rather quick and easy method and gives wonderful results.

That Back!

Vallis (Dutch) means valley, referring to the low back on this dress. The Vallis pattern’s back is the perfect depth as it will not show off your bra straps while wearing a regular bra. The front neckline is pretty modest and is still low enough to pull down and breastfeed so I did not make any alterations or hacks for the dress.

Details Details Details

The Vallis of course has POCKETS! It also has three hemlines. I made option C, which is the asymmetrical hem. The skirt has the handkerchief dip on the front right and on the back right and then curves around. The Vallis pattern also includes a regular hem and a normal handkerchief hem. The skirt and bodice of the Vallis are also interchangeable with the Solis tunic and dress so I could easily make this a circle skirt, a pleated skirt, or a gathered skirt by using the Solis pattern pieces.

Fabric

I used a lighter weight ITY that is insanely comfortable. ITY has such wonderful drape and is perfect for a dress. It also does not have a lot of vertical stretch and has great recovery. I love when dresses don’t feel heavy but also aren’t so thin that they show every bump along the road. Fabric choice means everything in how I feel about a garment and whether it gets worn time and time again. The fabric was gifted from my friend Aimee, who had it leftover after making a top. It was quite a nice sized remnant, and I love the cherry blossoms on this print. Thanks, Aimee!

I am pretty excited about this dress. After these photos, I wore it glamorously to the grocery store. I felt like the best dressed mom there, even though some of the dress was covered up by a baby carrier. I didn’t take it off for the rest of the day and am anxiously waiting for it to be clean again so I can wear it more. I see a date night in my future!