Sew Over It, Esma Dress

Not quite my first make of 2023 – I made another Sew Over It Jessie Coatigan for which you can check out my review here – but it’s the first garment made with a pattern that is new to me.

I cannot remember exactly when the Sew Over It Esma Dress pattern was released but it has to be around a year ago. I remember buying the pattern upon release (as I do with any SOI dress or coat pattern) but I never actually got around to making it. Any of you who know me will know that my go to knit dress pattern is the Colette Patterns Moneta Dress and, to be honest, was what I wore for most of my maternity journey (it was finally worthwhile having made just so many of them).

I finally got around to making Esma with my one ‘resewlution’ that I made this year; to be more conscious of all the patterns in my library that I have never made and to make at least one of these per month. Having made Esma, I can confidently say that everyone should have an Esma Dress in their wardrobe. Not only is the dress super comfy to wear – I used a cotton jersey from Jenny Stitches which is the perfect fabric for a T-shirt dress – it is incredibly easy to sew, too.

The pattern is aimed at confident beginners – I would say that, if you had never sewn with jersey before, this would be an excellent pattern to start with. It can also be sewn up in no time at all.

Esma is essentially a T-shirt dress with various length options; short, midi and knee length. I opted for the shorter version as I want to be able to wear this one in the summer months and it can easily be layered up and worn with tights until then. The options make it easy to make this pattern perfect for a wide variety of styles – suitable for any occasion. Imagine it in a rayon or bamboo jersey – the fluidity would make it quite dressy in contrast to the casual look I have gone for with cotton jersey.

Esma comes in sizes 6-30 (UK). These are split into two different blocks – sizes 6-20 (B cup) and sizes 18-30 (D cup). The D cup includes a bust dart which makes the shape much better for curvier bodies.

With a subtle A-line skirt that gathers into a wide waistband, Esma is fitted but has all the comfort of wearing a t-shirt. The gathers are subtle so they don’t add any bulk around the middle. One of my favourite features of the dress are the curved slant pockets which elevates the dress from being plain and basic.

The neckband, sleeve bands and waistband makes this an easy pattern to colour block, too, if that is your vibe (good for using up little bits of fabric, too).

It is a bit more casual than I would usually wear but I think the combination of the floral jersey balances the casual vibe of this dress. I think I may well revisit this pattern in the future.

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