DDD: Davenport Dress Details

This is the 3rd blog post I’ve started writing this week. Maybe I’ll finish one? Maybe Guy Fieri will make a guest appearance. Maybe, maybe…

Davenport line drawing

I received the Davenport Dress pattern last summer in a “Sewing Self Care Surprise kit” from Maker Mountain Fabrics. Let’s not to talk about the fact that Grace’s shop is closing, and stick to the facts. I sewed up all the fabric from my kit and played with the pattern (blogged here) but this is the first time I’ve sewn the Davenport as a DRESS.

(I generally don’t regurgitate all the nitty gritty pattern details when I write about my makes. The designer has all that info in their listing and pattern release blog post.)

Last June I wasn’t interested in making a long-sleeved dress and that was still the case as of yesterday. I choose to skip the little flutter sleeve cap detail as well and create a sleeveless Davenport.

I used a rayon with a vintage-vibing floral print (Alison Janssen) as I thought it suited the romantic style of the dress’ design.

I made two changes while cutting out my fabric. First, I cropped the skirt portion right below the level of the pocket bag (based on my proportion preferences from making the skirt previously) and I cut the ruffles as two full width of fabric rectangles (instead of piecing from four rectangles as designed). That’s just how it worked best with my material and it means the ruffle portion is just slightly more gathered than the original design.

Most of the changes I made were in the construction order for the bodice. I’m just a glutton for fully enclosed seams (amongst things). Ultimately, only the lower part of the armscye is bias bound.

And the neckline, shoulders and front yoke seams are tidy.

I chose to French the back yoke/lower back seam as it was the last one I stitched.

This was pretty tricky (read: the seam ripper came out a few times) given the small front yokes with tight angles. I don’t think I’d do it exactly this way again, but I’m open to playing with the construction order next time too for the same finished effects.

(Note- the most straightforward way to finish a sleeveless Davenport would be to follow the directions as written and bind the armscye with bias.)

There’s plenty to love about Davenport. The pockets are gloriously enormous. My only beef with them is that they tend to gape out and open right at the hips. Part of that is the nature of the slash pocket, but I also think it’s exaggerated by the gathering in the same area. I kinda think it’s a drafting issue for that pocket style as the gathering adjusts the dimensions, but I don’t have the knowledge and vocabulary to say exactly.

The selvedges are included in the side seams for the ruffle portion.

I have two more fabrics I’ve pulled from my stash waiting upstairs in this basket to get sewn. The striped linen has already been transformed into a Tudor blouse! The mustard twill ought to be shorts, but that dusty pink textured cotton still has me stumped.

Catch you later, Friends!