A New Gown for a Gala/A New Pattern From Pattern Union

The highlight of the holiday season, for me, is the American Opera Society of Chicago's Holiday Gala. It's held at The Fortnightly, and it is simply an enchanting evening. Pictured below is Whitney Morrison, an incredibly lovely, and talented woman. So...you know what that means :), I needed a new dress. Yeah right...I "needed" a new dress ;)   

About a month ago, I shared with you 2 free patterns from Pattern Union, the Maisie Dress, and the Phoebe Jumpsuit. That prompted me to begin following Sarah on Instagram. She posted a request for pattern testers for a new pattern, and I thought, "oh, why not?" She promptly sent me a note with all the particulars, and the time frame worked for me, so I agreed to test the pattern.

The pattern is the Sumekko Dress. I was surprised to see that it only has 1 seam. How great is that?!! It has the option of no darts, 2 darts, or a more fitted version with 4 darts, so you can easily customize the fit.  

Another special aspect of the dress is that it comes with 4 fabulous stencils. I haven't had a chance to try them out yet, but I can't wait to get my hands dirty :) My only difficulty is choosing which one to try first. 

Since I "needed" a new dress for the gala, and I also needed to get my test pattern made up, I decided to combine the 2.

I loved how the dress has a slight racer back.

The pattern is intended for a jersey knit. I used a knit, but a much heavier knit. I wanted something with sparkle, and this piece has lots of sparkle, and I already had it in my "collection." To give it just a bit more pizzazz, I added the beaded motifs to the neckline, and then added the rhinestones as well. I had both, so nothing was purchased. But, I really wished that I had some larger rhinestones to mix in with the smaller. This is something I am planning to add.   

If I had worn flat shoes, the hem length would have been fine, but I wanted to wear heels, so I added the lace to the bottom of the dress. I loved how it just seemed to finish it off.   

The pattern has not been released yet, but Sarah is planning to release it later this week. You can find Pattern Union HERE. 

The pattern has so many possibilities. You can make it a casual garment, or dress it up for a gala event. Then, there's the opportunity to really make it special with the 4 stencils. You could cut it off and make a tank as well as a knee length dress. So, a pattern that is well worth adding to your collection.

Have a wonderful day!
Hope you have time to do something fun. I'm on my way to see the dentist :/ 
 Rhonda