Gingham Wool Gauze Wilder Gown

I've got quite a quick little post for you today as I've already talked about this pattern twice before. But I wanted to share with you my winter version of the Wilder Gown from Friday Pattern Company. The rave reviews of this pattern drew me to it when it was first released but at that time oversized smock designs were quite a departure from my normal style (now I'm ALL about them!). I tentatively dipped my toe in the water by making the top first and loved the straightforward construction and fit which was more slim around the shoulders and upper chest than I expected. I think it is this fit around the upper portion of the body which prevents me from feeling swamped in fabric when wearing the dress as everything sits really nicely and the swooshy movement all happens from below the chest down.

I first made the dress variation of this pattern this summer in a bold viscose print. I was concerned that the dramatic print combined with dramatic style of garment might be too much for me but I lived in this dress all summer long and knew I'd miss it when the colder weather set in. I'm really delighted that I think I found the perfect fabric to make this winter appropriate. This beautiful gingham is a Japanese wool/cotton gauze from The Fabric Store (this is the brown but it comes in two other colours). The fabric is still lightweight with airy movement but has more body and less drape than the summer viscose which changes the effect of the design a little. It gives it a bit more volume and a wider shape if that makes sense. In contrast to the viscose which hangs down against the body.

The gauze is quite loosely woven as you'd expect but has a 'loftiness' to it, which combined with the wool fibre content makes it surprisingly warm. The different squares of the gingham also provide a slight varied texture which gives a kind of puckered effect a bit like seersucker. This is more pronounced after washing. In fact when washed this fabric shrinks up a bit which was a bit of a surprise after the first wash. But when ironed it smooths back out again to its original size; like a cotton double gauze does. I've laundered this dress just like I do my merino jersey. In the machine on a fairly delicate cycle and at 30 degrees. I made sure to give it a good pre-wash in case any shrinking was going to happen.

As the skirt is full and gathered I didn't give myself too hard a time with the pattern matching. I mainly concentrated on getting the centre front seam of the bodice to match as that is an area which would really draw the eye if things were a bit off. Other than that I made sure that the rows in the gingham lined up down the side seams and panels of the skirt and that was it.

As previously I really enjoyed sewing up this pattern, even all that gathering for the tiers of the skirt! It is a really quick sew as the construction is cleverly thought through to make it as simple as possible. Raglan sleeves, a simple folded down and stitched neckline to make the channel for the tie and then just straight seams and gathering. It would be a great project for a beginner.

The fabric is slightly sheer so I have been wearing a slip underneath it but you can get away without, particularly if wearing thick tights. I love this dress paired with tights and chunky boots, I think it gives this pattern a more grungy vibe as opposed to my whimsical summer version. It takes me right back to my teenage years. I definitely think this could work with a merino Nikko turtleneck layered underneath on really cold days too. In the winter I tend to resort to jeans a lot so I'm happy to have added another warm dress option to my wardrobe. I find winter dressing quite tricky, do you?