Pattern Review: Simplicity 8637

I bought this deep red, waffle-texture poly over Christmas while on honeymoon in New Zealand, from Drapers Fabrics in Auckland. I very much have a habit of buying fabric simply because it's pretty, without any real idea of what I will make with it. That was certainly the case here. I just thought, "some sort of floaty-summer-skirty-dress-thingy" and asked for the standard 1.5 metres that I always ask for when I don't have a clue what I'm doing.

It can be tricky to find a suitable pattern when you simply have a vague vibe in your head. I tend to browse through the patterns of all the companies I know and love (Papercut, Colette, Simplicity, Sew Over It, McCalls), and save any potential winners on Pinterest. I now also ALWAYS check Instagram for "real-life" versions of each one. This is incredibly helpful to consider fit issues, learn about the construction process and be inspired by alterations.

And that is how I settled upon Simplicity 8637. I saw a lovely version with altered sleeves and shortened flounce by @hobos_of_hoboken on Instagram and I was totally sold. So I have made Version D with these alterations too.



I shortened each flounce piece by 3 1/2".


I reshaped the sleeves from billowy to fitted, shortened to elbow length and added a flounce.


Due to my shortage of  fabric, I didn't cut a bodice lining. I just cut out the neckline interfacing pieces in the fabric as well as the interfacing, and finished the edges on the overlocker (the perfectionist in me wishes I had bought red overlocker thread!!)


I cut the skirt-back on the fold instead of as two separate pieces, by removing the centre seam allowance on the pattern piece. I did the same for the flounce-back. It just seemed unnecessary to have a seam since there isn't a zip there or anything...


I also made a second version, for which I shortened the bodice by 1" to improve the fit.




Cutting out is a bit of a mission, as there are plenty of pattern pieces, thanks to the flounce, bodice lining, waist-tie, sleeves... One thing that you need to remember is that the front flounce pieces are not symmetrical. There is a left flounce and a right flounce. The right is longer because it sits on top when you wrap the dress around. If you are cutting out on the wrong side of your fabric, you will need to flip both these pieces over so that they are face down. Otherwise (like me on my second dress), you'll end up having to put the shorter piece on the right hand side and it won't reach all the way up to the waistband. This is a bit hard to see thanks to the jazziness of the fabric!



The instructions and diagrams are clear, and the process is not too long-winded. There are a lot of darts to contend with right at the beginning (12 altogether, so you will be a pro by the time you finish!). The sleeve shoulder is slightly gathered, and so takes a little care to distribute evenly. The waist tie pieces take some patience to turn the right way round and iron flat. Remember to trim the seam allowance from the corners while still inside-out, or you won't get nice sharp corners once you've turned them!

I'd never sewn a flounce before and was relieved it was straightforward. It hangs in those beautiful ripples simply due to the curved shape of the pieces and not because of some clever work you have to put in. It takes a bit of pinning, because you're lining up two edges that naturally curve in opposite directions and so you need to tease them both straight.


The first time round, I made life very easy for myself. I hadn't used a lining so no handsewing needed to fix it down. I also left the sleeve and skirt edges unhemmed, securing them just with a zigzag stitch so that they have a soft, slightly frayed finish, which I'm kind of in love with.


The second dress took longer, since I did include a lining and I did hem. I was worried that it might not hang as nicely once hemmed because of the slight bulk, but it is absolutely fine.


I love this pattern. The style seems pretty versatile. It's always going to be a little bit fancy, but I feel like I could wear it on a nice summer's day, as well as dressing it up with heels on an evening.

The wrap-around is flattering and the overlap is wide enough that you don't need to worry about flashing anyone your downstairs, even on a windy day!


Upstairs can be a little more of a concern... As shown in the alterations section, the second version is significantly better because I shortened the bodice, but on the red version it does have a tendency to open up around the cleavage due to the way the waistband sits. I have been using body tape to stop me falling out of it.

All in all, I'm very happy indeed to have two new wearable and super-pretty dresses.And I can certainly recommend the pattern. For a dress with quite a few details, none of the process was particularly fiddly, and the instructions were easy to follow. I know I made quite a few alterations, but only one (shortening the bodice) was related to fit issues with the original pattern. And it was easily remedied. All other alterations were just personal preferences!