I first made dress B from Simplicity's 8384 pattern a few months ago (red, pictured below). I loved how it turned out, so a few weeks later I ended up using the pattern again to make a gray dress.
As one of the first sewing patterns I've purchased, I was very pleased with the outcome of the dresses. This is a pattern I can see myself coming back to and making again and again with different materials each time.
The 8384 pattern is nice because it has varying lengths for the dress pattern, as well as the option for a top. The button up front, swishy skirt, and POCKETS make this dress look (and feel) so amazing. Since I made it, this dress has become a staple in my closet! You can add a jacket or shawl if it's colder out, or just wear the dress as is in warmer weather.
When I made my gray dress using this pattern, I took some pictures (below) to show certain steps in the process. I'm still not very experienced in sewing, so I struggled a bit with this top. Specifically, the placket sections and the neckband. The placket sections were my fault--I misread the instructions and placed them backwards at first. But, after a few ripped out stitches and a slight readjustment, everything looked good again.
The neckband turned out okay, but I was a little disappointed. If you look closely at the front of the red dress, the neckband ends don't connect to the top of the placket sections. That's because the neckband was too short, but I jotted down a note in the instructions to help me remember for next time. At first I thought this was a mistake I made, but after making the dress a second time, I realized that the pattern sizing for the neckband itself was wrong.
One of the main reasons I wanted to sew this pattern was because I loved how the dress looked, and I could see myself making each variation of the dress many times (the top, too!). Another reason was the pockets. I mentioned the dress has pockets, right? An unexpected surprise that I didn't realize until I was sewing it up, was how lovely and full the skirt of the dress would be. I think there are six pieces total for the skirt? It feels amazing to twirl in, honestly I would give it a 10 just for that.
The Simplicity 8384 pattern is a beautiful, simple pattern that I would recommend to anyone looking for new dresses to sew for summer. I'm definitely going to be wearing mine a lot!
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