Laura’s Jade Wrap Dress
Laura had the gorgeous Dashwood Studio baby cord in Novembers Luxury Box and used it to make a beautiful Jennifer Lauren Jade Dress
The fabric type in the Luxury Box is a new one for Sew Hayley Jane, and she picked a real beauty. I am so excited to be able to try it! The print is absolutely amazing and right up my street with the gorgeous cool toned autumnal colour scheme.
Corduroy and needlecord are the perfect fabrics for a pinafore. I have made several “traditional” style pinafores in the past, making a couple each of the Jennifer Lauren Handmade Dulcie and Pippi Pinafores, but this time I wanted something with a bit of a twist. The cord that Hayley has picked out has an amazing drape that I wanted to take full advantage of.
In perfect timing, Jennifer Lauren (in my opinion, the queen of pinafores) released the Jade Wrap Dress and it was exactly what I was looking for. It is described as based on the classic apron styles of the 50’s, and perfect for layering. The wide A-line skirt was going to look amazing in this fabric.
I have been a big fan of Jennifer Lauren Handmade patterns for a long time. I feel that they strike the perfect balance of vintage style with modern lines and the Jade dress is no exception. I don’t think I’ve seen a wrap dress like this before, with the “wrap” bit at the back. Very interesting construction that was super fun to sew.
And of course, the great thing about wrap dresses is that you can adjust the tightness of the waist so easily.
The size range of Jennifer Lauren patterns is very inclusive, going from an A to J cup and size 6 to 34 which is wonderful to see.
I made the same size as my Kinfolk dress that I made with the AGF cotton from the August Luxury Box as that fits me perfectly. There is a slight nap to the fabric so make sure to cut your pattern pieces all in the same direction.
Like the Kinfolk, the Jade dress is shaped with princess seams at the front. The Jade dress has a fully lined bodice and darts at the back. I had just enough leftover fabric from my Classic Hovea Jacket last month to use for the lining. The colours match so well, and I love the juxtaposition between the round shapes on the outside and the geometric lines on the inside.
The skirt construction is very clever with the back skirt overlapping almost the entire back but is slightly stepped back so you can’t see the edge of the back skirt from the front. I can confirm that it is windy weather friendly as tested in the Manchester gales.
The needlecord was a joy to sew with. As it is relatively lightweight, I didn’t have any problems with bulky seams. It hangs so beautifully in the skirt whilst offering good structure in the bodice.
I absolutely love how this came out. It was exactly how I envisioned. I just feel really good in it and you can’t ask for more than that. There is the perfect amount of swish in the skirt for this weight of fabric and it hangs so beautifully at the hem.
Pinafore with a twist? Oh, yes!