Wattle Hill Fabrics

My Favourite Tres Belle Hack – Pattern Review!

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Fashionable woman in leopard print dress posing.

Leopard print dress-clad woman posing for photo.

A woman in a leopard print dress smirks for a photo while standing outdoors

Woman in leopard print dress smiling for camera.

Fashionable woman posing in leopard print dress.

Leopard print dress adds flair to woman's photo.

Woman in leopard print dress posing for photo.

A stylish woman in a leopard print dress striking a pose for a photo, exuding confidence and elegance.

A confident and elegant woman, donning a leopard print dress, striking a pose for a photo with style.

An elegant and self-assured woman, wearing a dress adorned with leopard print, gracefully strikes a stylish pose for a photograph.

Pattern: Tres Belle Dress with Willow Wrap Flutter Sleeves
Designer: Ellie & Mac (Tres Belle), Love Notions (Willow Wrap)
Fabrics: Viscose Jersey from Wattle Hill Fabrics
Skill level: Beginner
Size made: 2XL
Adjustments: I used the flutter sleeves from the Willow Wrap and mashed them straight into the Tres Belle Bodice
Pros: I’ve done this mash a couple of times and it NEVER fails to impress me. It is light, breezy and super flattering.
Cons: The binding on the neckline can be a little intimidating, but take it slow and you should have no problems.

Romance in Every Stitch: Mastering the Tres Belle Dress with a Flutter Sleeve Hack

So, I guess the first question I ask is, can you ever have too many beautiful dresses?

Answer, NO!

I think this is the 3rd or 4th Tres Belle I have made and at least the 2nd or 3rd I’ve made with the Willow Flutter Sleeve hack. I just love the romanticism of the flutter and softness it brings. I find that using soft fabrics such as Modal’s, Viscose Jersey, Bamboo Lycra and Rayon Jersey/Lycra’s work best if you want a really soft look, while something like a 220gsm Cotton Lycra/Elastane will have slightly more structure to it.

In terms of the hack, its a pretty straight hack. I used the sleeves from the Willow Wrap and put them straight onto the Tres Belle armcyes at the same size. For example, my armcye was an XL, so I cut the XL flutter sleeve on the Willow Wrap and it fit in nicely.

Of course the other staple that is always in any dress I make, is pockets! I just can’t imagine having dresses without pockets now haha.

I think one of my favourite things about this style of dress is the cross over front that flares from under the bust, helping to skim over my tummy, which is the area of my body I am most self conscious about. I am working on accepting myself as I am, but being able to make clothes that help me feel more confident is definitely part of that process.

I hope this review has inspired you to explore the fluttering elegance and comfort of the Tres Belle with the Willow Sleeve hack. It’s such a joy to create garments that not only look beautiful but also make you feel confident and comfortable in your skin. If you’re looking to enhance your knit fabric sewing skills further, take a look at my free guide, ‘Improve Your Knit Sewing in 30 Minutes or Less’, and start making your sewing journey even more rewarding.

Use code ‘sewwithmegan10″ on any Love Notions Pattern for an extra 10% off.

Ellie & Mac also have 50% off ALL patterns during November 2023. Grab it while it’s on sale!

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Pattern Review of the Endless Summer Tee

Pattern: Endless Summer Tee
Designer: Pattern Emporium
Fabrics: Cotton Lycra from Wattle Hill Fabrics
Skill level: Beginner
Measurements: Chest: 44″; Waist 40″; Hips 47″
Size made: 20/22
Adjustments: Grading and I ended up taking it in under the arms another 1″ on both sides.
Pros: I love the neckline on this and feminine flutters.
Cons: The sizing hasn’t been updated on this pattern yet so its only to a 24 (US20).

The Wrap Up

I am a big fan of scoop neck patterns and this one was no exception. However, there are also 4 other necklines to choose from which is something I love when patterns include different necklines. I also instantly knew I wanted to put the flutters on. I love how feminine they are and just add an extra detail that draws the eye up, which for me I like cause it takes away from my tummy! haha.

I used a super soft Cotton Elastane from Wattle Hill Fabrics in an olive with small black dots, which paired perfectly with the Olive Faux Denim Cotton Elastane I used for my Sonia Estep Iris shorts. I have previously written about the Iris Shorts which I will link here. The fabric was a dream to sew with and I love wearing it as its so soft and light on my skin.

You can leave the flutters unhemmed as its a knit so won’t fray, but I chose to do a rolled hem on mine. I used the rolled hem feature on my Baby Lock Acclaim Overlocker/Serger and it did the most BEAUTIFUL rolled hem I think I’ve ever seen. I see lots more rolled hems in my future. Not to mention more Endless Summer Tee’s!

Definitely a quick and easy one to sew up and recommend giving it a go.

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Pattern Review of the Colour Block My Way Hoodie

Pattern: Your Way Hoodie
Designer: Ellie & Mac
Fabrics: Wattle Hill Fabrics
Measurements: Chest:21.5″; Waist 20.5″; Hips 21″
Size made: 2T
Adjustments: None
Pros: This is a great jumper for heading into Winter. Colour blocking is always a win for me.
Cons: The neckline was a little small in testing, but it was fixed for the final file.

Links:

Your Way Hoodie

Wattle Hill Fabrics

The Wrap Up:

Before I had a boy, I used to think that I wouldn’t be able to dress him up cute and fun like a girl, but I’m pleased to say, I was wrong.

True, it is a different kind of cute and fun, but, especially because I make Ted’s clothes, I have control over the fabrics. I have stocked up the last two years on super cute designs to deck out his wardrobe. The forest friends I used in this test is a personal fave of mine. I bought the same print in Soft Shell last year and I was wrapped when I saw that Wattle Hill Fabrics had it in a French Terry. I was very excited to pull this one out for the finals of this test along with their jogging sweater fleece in these really earthy colours to compliment it.

Pretty fabrics aside, this jumper was a super easy make and came together quite quickly. The fun ‘secret’ pocket at the front is a nice touch and perfect for any kid that likes to stash things away. Be it snacks, trucks, dirt… the options are endless! Haha, just don’t forget to check the pocket before you wash it!

I’m also a fan of the dropped shoulders look and hood coming into the colder weather. Very happy with this make indeed!

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Pattern Review of the Harper Hoodie

Pattern: Harper Hoodie
Fabrics: Purple: Cotton Fleece from Sew Unique Fabrics Accent: ‘Artistic Ink’ from Sew Unique Farbics
Pink: Jogging Sweater Knit from Wattle Hill Fabrics
Measurements: Bust: 42.5″; Waist: 39.5″; Hips: 47.5″
Size made: Straight 22. I like my hoodies big and oversized
Adjustments: None
Pros: LOVE the colour blocking on this. It is super comfy to wear and I love the look of the welt pockets.
Cons: I had to unpick the welt part of the pockets 3 times before I got it looking good enough that I was happy with it. I also felt the pocket bags on the inside look a little clunky.

Links:

Harper Hoodie Pattern

Sonia Estep Facebook Group

Sew Unique Fabrics

Wattle Hill Fabrics

The Wrap Up:

This brand new hoodie pattern from Sonia Estep is a big winner in my eyes. From the minute I saw it, I knew I would love it and am so glad I got a chance to sew it up. It may be Summer over here in the Southern Hemisphere, but its never too early to start my winter wardrobe. Especially living in Melbourne. We can be in the middle of a heat wave and then next thing you’re freezing and fighting off hail storms! Never a dull moment in Melbourne haha.

I had a few choices for fabrics on this one. As I often do when I’m planning a new project, I got them all out and laid them together to see what combo jumped out at me. I straight away was drawn to the purple and pink combo, and the artistic ink was definitely a front runner.

As the artistic ink is a Cotton Lycra, quite thin, and the purple and pinks are cotton fleece, thick and fluffy, I decided to cut all my artistic ink pieces in black Cotton Fleece as well to ‘back’ each piece. I then treated them as one piece when sewing it together. It is a little bit of a extra tricky step, but well worth it for me.

Once I had decided on the fabrics, the next was choosing a size. In the past I have sewn to ‘my measurements’ and while the garments fit, and looks good, its taken me 3 or 4 hoodies to realise that I actually REALLY like oversized hoodies. Like, I buy RTW mens sized ones cause I want them big and snuggly. So this time I made a size 2-3 up from what my measurements said and its PERFECT.

The process of putting the garment together was quite straight forward, just a few extra steps in the piecing it together. I had to be very careful I made sure all the pieces went together as they should so that the colour blocks would match up. I did put my bottom pieces on upside down to begin with so that was a fun half hour unpicking that. doh!

My fabrics laid out to choose colour combo

The next part I had some issues with was the welt pockets. I had not done a welt pocket quite how it was constructed in this pattern and had some problems getting my outer piece even and nestled nicely from the front. One of the sides I unpicked 3 times, and the other side once. I am glad I did, as it was worth it to have it looking good, but it did cause for some swear words haha. I also thought the inside pocket bags were a little odd in terms of how they sit, and if I make another would look to how I could modify to perhaps make a circle through pocket, but for now I might hand stitch them to the inside so they don’t dip below the waistband when weighted down by objects in them.

Inside of pocket bags and my black ‘lined’ artistic ink pieces

I had some questions over wether I crossed my hood too much when I first did it, but it works. The designer also commented that the hood is intentionally a more ‘dramatic’ hood crossover than most. The cowl look around the neck when its not up is particularly appealing to me, I think it looks great!

The Harper Hoodies is definitely a staple in my wardrobe now and am looking forward to being able to crack her out A LOT over winter. The pattern is on sale for 50% till Thursday, click on the link below (afflink) to grab your copy.

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