Penny Lane Ellis Dress

Pattern: Ellis Dress by Merchant & Mills

Size: 14 UK

Fabric: Merchant & Mills Double Gauze (color Penny Lane) - 3 meters (with some left over), and scraps of Liberty of London Tana Lawn (color Heidi Meadow) for the lining

Mods: Patch pockets from the Hattie Dress variation

Takeaways: The size is spot-on for my shoulders, but a little big through the waist, and really big in the skirt. Of course, the design is intended for a loose fit, but it made me feel a little like I was wearing a sack dress :( Using the back seam of the bodice as a guide, I engineered a back seam (I couldn’t take it in on the side seams because it would mess up the pockets, which are set over the side seams). Starting mid-back, I took in 3” total at the waist, increased to 4” total in the hips and down to the hem. It’s still a comfortable, loose fit, but I think it’s a little more flattering now.

I also hemmed it a bit shorter than the pattern called for - at 5’4”, I often have to take a deeper hem in dresses and skirts.

Finally, I had to make adjustments to the pockets - they’re so large, the fabric is so loosely woven, and because of the gathers at the top of the skirt, the tops of the pockets gapped open badly whenever my hands weren’t in them. I stitched 2 1/4” in from the outside of each pocket to partially close up the pockets - there is still plenty of room for my hands, but now the pocket opening isn’t so large, so it doesn’t gap and sag open so badly.