Ready for the Christmas Party with the Patterns for Pirates Gala Gown

Hey friends! Last night I went to my husband’s work’s annual Christmas party, and I made my own dress! I rarely get the opportunity to dress up and was so excited to change out of my everyday mom outfit and wear a fancy dress.

I have to admit that I was so nervous to do an all black dress. I kept thinking while I was sewing it that it might end up boring. Even my kids told me when I went to Joann’s to pick fabric, don’t pick black! Get bright red! I didn’t listen to my doubts, though, and stuck with my original plan.

I think the style lines on this pattern were perfect for a solid dress. The dress in itself is stunning enough that I felt perfectly elegant when I was finished. I felt like an absolute princess in the dress! I got some hoop earrings as an early Christmas present from my husband and changed out of my studs for those. They added just the extra bling that I needed.

The Pattern

The Patterns for Pirates Gala Gown is a dress pattern designed for stable knits like ponte, velvet, liverpool, scuba, etc. It has a paneled 3/4 circle skirt and the bodice has princess seams on the front and back. Both the front and back have a crisp v neckline and the options for a high or low V.

The Gala Gown Pattern includes a tank version or cap, 3/4, or long sleeves. As far as length, you can choose from a knee length or maxi length. The maxi length includes an optional sexy slit.

I chose to do cap length sleeves, full length, and without a slit. I also chose the higher v for both my front and back. I removed two inches of length from my skirt since I am 5’2.”

I was a pattern tester for this dress and sewed an early version of the bodice, which was lengthened after my version so I would have needed to remove length from the final. The pattern is drafted for someone who is 5’5.”

I used ponte fabric from Joann. You can find the one I used here. The bodice is lined, which makes sewing the V very easy. I used double brushed polyester for the lining.

My Sewing Thoughts

The pattern was surprisingly quick to sew. I finished my dress in one evening, and then took a second evening to hem the bottom. Hemming didn’t take nearly as long as I had expected but I still put it off for a day!

My dress took 5 YARDS!! The skirt is just so full and elegant! It is also VERY heavy! I think it weighs around 5 pounds! It was hard to spin fast enough to get into its full height.

It has POCKETS!! Yes, I did not have to carry a clutch or purse last night. I put my keys and phone in my big pockets, and it was wonderful. The ponte was thick enough to not show what was in my pockets and didn’t droop. The pockets will hold a lot, including my randomly nervous hands while talking to strangers and trying to be festive.

I had an absolute blast and loved how comfortable I felt and yet put together. I loved my dress so much that I cut out and started on a second dress. The next one is in velvet with a lower front neckline! I can’t wait to finish it and have an occasion to wear it.

I love the way the bodice ends at the natural waist and the skirt hides any extra dessert. I have had 5 kids and notice that my stomach is always slightly bigger later in the day so evening parties are not that great for skin-tight gowns. I also love the structure of the ponte!! My skirt is just so full on its own! If you want a less full skirt, use fabric with more drape like velvet.

Happy Holidays friends and thanks for stopping by today! I would love to stay connected with you. Find me on Instagram! If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

*Disclosures

I received this pattern for free as part of the testing process so that I could give the designer feedback about the pattern.

XO