I’ve been admiring the Sicily Slip Dress pattern from afar for quite some time. When I had the chance to work with this beautiful John Kaldor satin fabric as part of the Minerva Ambassador program, I knew EXACTLY what this fabric needed to be!
I sewed this dress to wear to the wedding of my younger brother-in-law and his wife. I was just under 2 months post-partum at the time, and I wanted something that would make me feel pretty, but would also be comfortable and at least somewhat nursing friendly. This pattern was perfect – figure skimming in a way that hugged the curves that I felt good about and didn’t overly accentuate those that I didn’t feel as great about. The fabric is a lovely, thick satin that flows through your hands like water. It doesn’t cling or wrinkle, just drapes and flows in the most lovely way. The dark color of the fabric and the large scale print of the flowers felt appropriate for a wedding, but I also look forward to wearing this out to a nice date night sometime in the future!
This was my first time to sew the Sicily Slip Dress, after months of cyber stalking it via Instagram. I had this dress finished and ready to wear almost one month before the actual wedding, because I was so nervous that with my minimal sewing time with a newborn around, I may not get it done in time! I was so glad to have it ready to go, but sewing it up this early presented a new obstacle… As a mama in the early postpartum period, my body was truly changing on a daily basis. I could tell early on that my body wasn’t “bouncing back” the same way that it did following my first pregnancy, and I wanted to be careful not to choose too small a size in this pattern and find myself unable to wear my dress when the wedding came around! In an abundance of caution, I ended up cutting and sewing size “D” in this pattern, and ultimately I wish I’d gone with a size smaller.
The wedding was in October, and it was beautiful. We had such a great time, and my little girl enjoyed wearing a fancy dress and fulfilling her Flower Girl duties! We dressed the tiny baby man up in trousers, suspenders, and oxfords and he couldn’t have looked any sillier or more precious! While my dress was lovely to move around and dance in, I felt like I looked a little bit frumpy throughout the night – between feeling out of sorts in my own body, and the dress feeling a little larger and less body skimming than I’d expected, I wasn’t sure I loved the dress as much as I’d hoped I would.
With family around for the wedding and a little baby to take care of, it was another few weeks before I had the chance to get out and take some pictures in this dress. Again, I wasn’t sure how I felt in it, but we had fun running around and taking some photos anyways. It wasn’t until recently, when my husband sent these over for me to edit and look over, that I decided this dress might be gorgeous on me after all!
I look back at these photos now and feel very pretty. I love the way the dress falls, and while I will likely still cut and sew a smaller size when I make this pattern again, I don’t look at these photos and feel frumpy at all! I have said this before, but as much as taking photos of the things I sew can be a totally awkward inconvenience sometimes, the pictures often become treasures after the fact. They offer me a little time and space to form perspective, and help me appreciate things in a way that I may not have been able to in the moment.
Well, enough of my sappy stuff. Enjoy this pretty dress! I know that I did!
Dress: handmade by me
Pattern: Sewing Patterns by Masin – Sicily Slip Dress
Fabric: Minerva – John Kaldor Santa Cruz Satin in Black
Key Ingredients:
Brother XR9500PRW Sewing Machine
Brother 1034D Overlocker
Dahle 36×48 Self-healing Cutting Mat
Prym Sewing Machine Needles
Gutermann Sew All Polyester Sewing Thread
Thanks for reading my thoughts on this pattern! The fabric used for this post was provided to me by Minerva in exchange for photos of my finished garments and a review of my experience with the fabric, to be posted on their website. The pattern was purchased by me. All words and opinions expressed throughout this post are my own, as always. Links provided throughout this post may be affiliate links – if you choose to purchase any products through these links, I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. This simply helps me justify the costs of my sewing habit and the time it takes to share it with you!! Happy Sewing!
- XX Elizabeth
