Striped Swallow Designs Summer Dawn

I love dresses. They are the easiest outfit to grab and not have to think about matching a top to a bottom. They also look put together and comfortable. I recently got the opportunity to test a woven add-on to the Summer Dawn pattern by Striped Swallow. The original pattern was drafted for knit fabric only, but after much request, they have now released an addition to this pattern that will work perfect for lightweight woven fabric.

I was feeling brave and decided to make my test version in a chiffon. I love the end result, but this chiffon did not want to press. It did not want to really cooperate with me at all. I wouldn’t let it get the best of me, though, and I am pretty happy with the results.

The pattern has the prettiest flowy sleeves that come in an elbow sleeve or short sleeve. I chose the short sleeve length. The shape of the sleeve has wonderful movement. The shoulder seams have very pretty front gathers.

The dress comes in a short length and a maxi length. If I made another one, I would love to try the maxi length. It was a very windy day during the photo shoot so my dress kept wanting to fly up and away. I am also 5’2″ and did not remove any length.

I like how the tie is constructed on the Summer Dawn wrap dress. The tie comes through a button hole so that it ties right where the bodice and skirt meet on the side. This is how my favorite RTW wrap dress is constructed.  Last year, I purchased a wrap dress pattern from another company in girls and women’s sizes. I made that dress for my daughter first, and the tie set several inches from this seam so it looks a little awkward when tied. I ended up not making the pattern for myself when I saw that it was constructed the same way. I am so glad that I love the Summer Dawn construction and will be using this pattern when I want to make a wrap dress for myself in the future.

If you have already purchased the original Summer Dawn, you will want to redownload the pattern from your account to get the updated instructions and because the knit pattern pieces have been updated to be trimless pages. Also, the original purchasers will need to get the Woven Add-On to be able to make the dress in a woven fabric because the woven pattern pieces are entirely different than the original knit pattern pieces. The Woven Add On can be found here.

If you have not purchased the original, the bundle that includes the Woven Add On can be found here.

Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to read my blog. I hope I have inspired you and can’t wait to see what you make out of this pattern. You may follow me on Instagram or receive updates by liking my page on Facebook. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest.