Ultimate Dress with Pockets: Designer Stitch Jasmine
Bringing you another new pattern from Designer Stitch, the Jasmine Dress. This dress is based of the same block as the Madison dress I shared a little while ago so there should be no surprise that I love it.
I feel like there's a large population of women who love pockets and I am one of them. I'm always jealous of all the pockets my husband has in jackets and pants. I also love to wear dresses, but typically RTW dress hardly have pockets. Yes, I am aware that there are others who don't understand our love to stash things on our person. That is the amazing thing about sewing, if you love pockets you can add them to almost any pattern or leave them out of a pattern that call for them.
Adding in seam pockets to a shift, waist gathered or A-line dress is fairly simple and I do it often. However, pockets on a sheath dress almost have to be a design element. On the Jasmine the pockets are ingeniously integrated in the side front pieces. And they are good size! I could drop my Note 9 in one if I needed a free hand for a minute. Now I probably wouldn't use that as my means to carry it all day and it would cause that one side to sag, after all it's still a knit dress. They are perfectly functional for smaller lighter items, like cash, an ID card, hair elastics or whatever.
As a knit pullover dress it is quick to sew. The instructions are very clear especially concerning creating the pocket and joining the front and side front. All the steps are clear, but the rest are pretty straightforward to begin with. I love that there are so many options for sleeve length and hem length. I definitely want to make a version with a color blocking, either with the side front or just a small pop with the pocket welt.The Jasmine is great for any season. Opt for sleeveless in the summer, elbow or three quarter sleeves for the spring and fall and long sleeves for winter. Wear with tights and booties (like I did) in the winter or with strappy sandals in the spring and summer. Also would look great under a blazer for chilly nights out or cool office environments.
I love this dress so much I made two! The one I'm modeling is a burgundy rayon ponte from Fabric Mart that I have held onto for a couple of years. It has a medium weight, stiff hand, snappy recovery and high rayon percentage (which helps with pilling in my opinion) ponte. But the first one I sewed is a black ponte that I'm fairly certain also came from Fabric Mart. It is a tad lighter weight and is definitely less stiff. I love both!If you like dresses with pockets go grab the pattern now as it it currently on an introductory sale!!!! Buy HERE.Pattern: Designer Stitch Jasmine DressPattern Description: The Jasmine Dress is a fabulous figure flattering design and is a must for wearing for all seasons. The princess panel style of the dress allows for fine tuning of your own perfect fit.Sizing: US 2-24, AU/UK 6 – 28, EU 34 – 56 Cup Sizes Included – B, C, D, DD (E)Difficulty: 2.5/Advanced BeginnerFabric Used: Pontes from Fabric MartDoes it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope? YesWere the instructions easy to follow? YesLikes: Princess seams, all the options, pockets!!!!Dislikes: nonePattern alterations or any design changes made: NoneWould I sew it again? Yes, even though I've already made two!Would I recommend it to others? Yes if you loved fitted knit dresses and pockets.