As soon as I saw the Deer and Doe summer patterns over on Ginger Makes I immediately ordered all three and made them up as soon as they arrived! This is very unlike me- normally I am really slow to get around to new patterns but with these it was a definite case of love at first sight! Having never made a Deer and Doe pattern I went with my measurements and I was between two sizes so I decided to size up to the larger of the two with this dress as I would always prefer to have more wiggle room rather than less. I made a toile as always and realised that I didn’t need a single alteration, perfect fit from the envelope- can’t say fairer than that.
I already had the exact fabric in mind which was a medium weight blue stripe linen from my stash. I had bought the fabric from Fabrics Galore (one of my local fabric shops in London) last summer just because it was such a gorgeous shade of blue and a lovely quality linen and it sprang to mind the minute I saw the pattern. The white stripe in the fabric lent itself perfectly to the contrast white tie collar and cap sleeves.
Although I didn’t alter anything fit- wise with this dress my personal construction of it varied in a number of ways to the pattern instructions. I always prefer to enclose my raw edges rather than finish them wherever possible. Although this often requires hand stitching I just far prefer to avoid lots of overcastting as its looks so much nicer and feels like a more durable garment to me.
The first change I made was with the yoke. I cut two additional yoke pieces to use as a yoke lining like one commonly would with a blouse. For the yoke linings I used a light weight white cotton lawn as my linen was quite substantial but if you were working with a light weight dress fabric you could self line them. Where the front bodice gathers into the yoke I sandwiched the gathers between the yoke and yoke lining. Then I turned under the other end of the yoke lining and stitched it down by hand to the seam where the back bodice is attached to the yoke. This enclosed all the raw edges and didn’t add any bulk as the cotton was very fine.
I used the same method for the waistband. Although the pattern instructs to you to cut a waistband lining the two are stitched in together and the edges overcast, instead I sandwiched the bodice between the two waistband pieces and then just like with the yokes I turned under the seam allowance on the lower edge of the waistband lining and stitched it down by hand to the seam where the waistband meets the skirt. This still created the same channel through which to thread the elastic but enclosed all the seams. I used the same lightweight cotton for this to once again avoid adding any bulk.
I also changed the way that the sleeves are attached to the dress- can I just say how much I LOVE the shape of the little cap sleeves on this dress! So simple, flattering and un-restrictive! The sleeves on this pattern are supposed to be folded in half wrong sides together with the raw edges even and attached to the bodice of the dress double. At this point you would then finish the armscye and sleeve raw edges together- most likely by over-locking or binding with bias binding. I only stitched one of the layers to the armscye and then I trimmed the seam allowances down to 5mm, folded the sleeve in half wrong sides together and turned under the second trimmed raw edge and stitched it down by hand. This enclosed all of the raw edges and removed any visible, bulky over-locking from this area or the need to make and attach binding.
The only other change I made to the dress was to make a little loop from the white linen which I stitched to the neckline to thread the tie collar through. I only did this because the white linen I used for the collar was quite stiff and didn’t knot very nicely.
Reglisse is such a comfy dress- perfect for a lazy summer afternoon. I will definitely be making some other versions of this dress and I am now a huge Deer and Doe fan.
Stay tuned for my other Deer and Doe Datura and Chardon coming soon!
Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
54 responses to “Une Robe Français – Deer and Doe Reglisse”
Love this dress on you! I’m not sure I’d make it for myself but you did a great job- our finishing is very nice, and the fabric is lovely!
Thanks Deb!:)
So pretty! What a very feminine, and comfortable looking dress!
Thanks Amy! Yep it really is soooo comfy! hehe!
Gorgeous, am googling patterns now…..
Thanks Olivia- the Deer and Doe patterns are soo lovely! Happy browsing! 🙂
Absolutely adorable! This is so sweet! You look ready for a seaside vacation!
Thanks Ginger! Ah a seaside vacation sounds so dreamy…
Gorgeous! You always look so classy in everything you make!
I’ve got a list as long as my arm of sewing projects I want to do at the minute so I’ve been trying to resist the Deer & Doe patterns but seeing makes like yours is really hard!
Aw thanks Fiona! Oooo don’t resist- they are such lovely patterns!:)
Really lovely! I love the fabric.
Thanks Katy! Yep I love this linen- it has a good weight to it so it hangs really well! 🙂
Stunning and inspiring as always! I love your version and really love the way you enclose your seams, it makes for a perfectly finished dress. Just lovely.
Thank you so much! I really love your blog 🙂
Wow – your finishing is so inspiring! I always love how you go the extra mile to get an exquisite garment!
This dress is adorable – so perfect on you!
Aw thanks Gail! I fear it’s a compulsion now, teehee! 🙂
Beautifully made as always! I have recently purchased a few of the deer and doe patterns and was quite impressed.
Thank you! Aw yep me too and I love how classic her styles are! 🙂
Very exquisite sewing! It’s so cute and so you.
Ah thanks so much! 🙂
Soooo adorable! I followed along with the Deer & Doe sew-along and was really taken with making one with a button front. Your post has inspired me further especially all the lovely little details to enclose the seams. But I’ll no doubt have to work on an SBA. Thank you Ami – really looking forwards to your Chardon and Datura 🙂
Thanks Louise! Yep I’ve seen a plaid button front one and it was gorgeous! 🙂
Its a lovely version! I love the striped linen, I must try deer and doe soon.
Thanks Katy! Your stripy skirt is stunning!! Def try Deer and Doe- really great patterns! 🙂
Very pretty
Thank you! 🙂
Very cute dress! Love the fabric!
Thanks Anthea! I love your blog- your recent vintage shirt dress is stunning! 🙂
Ami, It’s absolutely beautiful on you! Good job in the construction, I completely agree with you there that the raw edges should be encased as much as possible in garments. Good job!
Aw thanks Ari!- yep enclosing is the way to go where poss! 🙂
stripes is definitely a good choice for Reglisse !
yours is absolutely wonderful ! I can’t wait to see your others creations from Deer&Doe – and sorry if my english is bad — I wanted so bad to write something ^^
Ah thanks so much- I love your stripy Reglisse too! Your English is great, I am taking French lessons at the moment but I think it is going to take me a long time to learn! Hehe!
Hi Ami,
I have been lurking around your website for some time now, so I decided I should be polite and introduce myself. To begin, I am probably 3 x’s your age but still think of myself as youngish (where do the years go!!). The clothes you are creating are so charming and even though I don’t know you they say so much about you, and I am starting to feel as though I do. (Plus, I love your wee KC Spaniel). It is wonderful to see young women sewing again and not going for instant gratification, but taking time to fit and finish beautifully. You are creating heirlooms, and because of the quality maybe some day (50 or 60 yrs. from now)another young lady will be showing off her great find/treasure (your dresses)to her friends.
Thank you for introducing Deer and Doe to me. I just ordered Reglisse and intend to use the Belladone skirt (when it is back in stock)with the bodice of the Reglisse dress. I love the flirty, sassy skirt on you , but feel I need something a bit more tailored. Congratulations on all the beautiful work you do and for being such a positive inspiration to others. I never tell people I sew, because for years it was looked down upon, and fabric stores began closing and I was not going to wear polyester, which is all that seemed to be available. Now, it is possible to order fabric from anywhere and boy am I taking advantage of that, and it is so romantic to think I will be making a pattern from France!
Anyways, before I take up more of your time and space, thanks for such a cute website and sharing you adventures
with us.
Frances
Hi Frances! Thanks you so much for your lovely comment 🙂 I LOVE that idea of my dresses being a vintage find one day!!
Your plan for combining those two Deer and Doe patterns sounds gorgeous (I love the Belladone dress)! Be sure to let me know how it turns out!
The top of Reglisse is such a lovely shape isn’t it, my mother had the idea of creating a blouse from it as she too wanted to avoid the flouncy skirt! And can I just say I felt the exact same way about making a French pattern- soo romantic! Hehe!
And hooray for more fabric choice these days! 🙂 Polyester is definitely not worth sewing with- yuk!
Happy sewing! 🙂
That is an adorable dress! So cute and with retro charm. I love your choice of colours better than on Deer&Doe website. The contrasting collar and sleeves really make it!
Ah thank you! I do love the contrasting sleeves and collar on this pattern! 🙂
Really cute dress on you – and I love seeing such beautifully finished seams!
Thanks Karen! 🙂
Very pretty! I want to sew one just like it:)
Thank you! Do it- it’s a lovely pattern 🙂
So pretty !
Thanks Aline! 🙂
This is beautiful!! I absolutely love everything about it – the colors, the tiny stripes, the finishing details… it’s just gorgeous and it suits you perfectly! I must admit that I purchased all three of the new patterns too right when they came out, but also haven’t sewn any of them up yet, mostly because I was unsure of the fit and am in between two of the sizes listed on the back also. Thank you for your fitting details in the post, it was really helpful! 🙂
Ah glad they were helpful Juli! I can sooo see you in all the new Deer and Doe patterns! I am actually planning on taking inspiration from your recent blue blouse and adding a contrasting piping to my next datura! 🙂 happy sewing!
This is beyond adorable!
I love all the care you put into finishing the seams, they make the dress extra special!
Thank you! I am in love with your recent swimsuit and Billie Jean dress! 🙂
Wow – totally perfect on you! So lovely and made immaculately. x
Beautiful choice of fabric and again such attention to detail and perfect finish. You are amazing. Ann x
This is really pretty. I think I just used the same fabric for a blouse I made recently!
[…] on top. I definitely recommend the pattern! If you’re thinking of making it, check out Ami’s cute version and tips for enclosing the seams (helpful if you don’t want to line it like I did). Also, you should know that the dress is […]
I love your fabric choices for this pattern, it makes me want to go and purchase the pattern 😀 xxx
Thanks so much for explaining and showing how you enclose raw edges. French seams are easy for longer seams, but I always wondered what to do about smaller seams like that. I agree with someone above—your granddaughters or someone in a consignment shop is going to love the care you took in your garments. 🙂 Hugs from across the Pond!
Thanks Tracy and no problem! 🙂
it’s spelled “Une Robe Française” 😉