Kielo Wrap Dress with D&H Fabrics Co.

I’ve been eyeing the Kielo Wrap Dress forever, and this year’s #SewTogetherForSummer was exactly what I needed to finally get my butt into gear and purchase the pattern! As soon as the wrap dress theme was announced, I knew that I’d be using the Kielo, and was lucky enough to be able to use a discount code specifically made up for Sew Together for Summer! I’ve held onto the pattern since then, and I knew I’d just barely be able to squeeze my make in by the very last day – and here we are, just as planned, with a beautiful Kielo I finished and photographed last night! 🙂

For this make, I had the privilege of working with the brand spankin’ new D&H Fabrics Co. – their online store officially launched YESTERDAY! Be sure to take a look, as Tammy has an absolutely lovely selection of fabrics and has put a lot of her heart and soul into getting this venture up and running!!

I chose this gorgeous rayon bamboo jersey in the “Vintage” colorway for my Kielo. I originally read this color to be a bit more of a muted bottle green, but it actually seems to be a really beautiful slate grey blue. This blue / green / grey colorway seems to be something I’m leaning towards pretty heavily lately; in fact, I realized recently that my Myosotis dress is an almost identical shade! This fabric was a bit of a pain to sew with because it is thin and slippery, but in the end I think the effort was worth it because look at that drape! I also can’t quite describe to you just how soft this fabric is – I feel like I’ve been making lots of “secret pajamas” lately, but this one takes the cake.

I used a combination of overlocked seams and stretch zig-zag stitch throughout the dress. As I’ve mentioned many times before, becoming more comfortable with knits was a goal I set for myself this year, and I find that I learn something new with each knit garment I make. I LOVE this dress, and I can’t wait to wear it constantly, but I do have some ideas of things I will do differently next time.

On this version, I sewed the stitch on the backside of the skirt as directed, simply by folding the hem under twice and using my stretch zig-zag stitch. It looks just fine, but the seam would really like to turn itself out to the front and it seems just a bit flimsy. Next time around, I’d like to try using my heat & bond soft-stretch to stabilize this area and hopefully avoid the flimsy turn-around situation I’ve got here!

I used knit bias tape for the first time on the neck and arm openings of this dress. I believe the bias tape I used was actually a bit thicker than recommended, which I think actually helps lend a more casual vibe to this dress. I did have a bit of wrinkling around all three areas, and I think that my lack of experience with bias tape in general may be to blame! The pattern instructions offered two ideas for these areas – a turned under hem, or bias tape. I think in the future, I will either opt for a thinner bias tape or even lean towards a turned under hem with my handy heat & bond soft stretch!

My only other ideas for future Kielos are to play with fabrics. I’m fascinated by the fact that Named Patterns recommends both knits AND wovens as appropriate fabrics for this dress. I actually purchased some hot pink tencel last summer with a Kielo in mind, so that may be in the pipes here pretty soon! I think it would also be really lovely with a bit of a thicker knit fabric.

I have been pleasantly surprised that the jersey I used for this dress is not being weighed down by the dress itself. I was a bit worried that the amount of fabric would be too much, and that I might end up with a saggy / misshapen dress once it all came together. So far, it seems to be keeping the shape quite well!

I won’t lie – I had some reservations as I put this dress together. Due to the shape and design of the pattern, there aren’t a lot of great checkpoints to stop and check the fit or look of the garment, so as I sewed I kind of felt like I was taking a shot in the dark. I was finally able to try it on prior to finishing the neck and arm holes, and was really pleasantly surprised – I don’t know why, but I had this strange feeling throughout the entire construction that I was just going to come out with something unimpressive and potentially unwearable! Luckily, I wasn’t correct!

I feel a bit like a Greek goddess in this dress, and I love that the waist ties can be wrapped to the front or the back. At the moment, I find myself quite without a waist thanks to my baby bump (!!), but I think the dress still looks pretty flattering in its’ own way – however, I will say that on my mannequin (who still has quite a nice waist!) the shape of the dress is entirely different. I am actually so excited that this is roomy enough to wear throughout my pregnancy, but will also easily transition with me next year as I get back to normal shape!

So there you have it! Just in time to meet the end of the Sew Together for Summer wrap dress project. I’ve loved seeing so many great dresses, and I’ve been inspired to try some patterns I hadn’t been drawn to before.

Dress: handmade by me

Pattern: Named Clothing – Kielo Wrap Dress

Fabric: Bamboo Rayon Jersey in Vintage from D&H Fabrics Co.

• XX Elizabeth