I’ve found myself in a tricky spot lately when it comes to my wardrobe—my waistline just isn’t cooperating the way it used to. For most of my life, I’ve gravitated toward fitted tops and dresses that flattered my upper body, but as summer approached, I knew I’d need something a little more forgiving. That’s when I started dreaming up the perfect dress: something breezy, knee-length, and with a deep V-neck that would feel effortless yet stylish.
There are plenty of loose-fitting dress patterns in the Liesl + Co. catalog that caught my eye, like the Cinema Dress, Gelato Dress, Camp Dress, and Weekend Getaway Dress. But none of them quite matched the neckline I had in mind, so I knew I’d need to tweak the design. Ultimately, I decided on the Terrace Dress because of its cut-on sleeves (my favorite!) and plain front, which would make it easier to transform into the V-neck I envisioned.
As luck would have it, Fabric Wholesale Direct reached out to let me try out their fabric. I couldn’t resist choosing their wine-colored linen—it’s absolutely dreamy to work with and looks fantastic once sewn. Plus, they’re generously offering a $100 fabric giveaway for one lucky reader, so keep reading to find out how to enter!
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### Choosing My Size
To determine my size, I measured myself carefully:
- High bust: 38"
- Full bust: 41"
- Waist: 32–35"*
- Hips: 41–42"*
*These numbers vary depending on the time of day, what I’ve eaten, and how active my neighborhood dogs have been (or so it feels!).
Based solely on the size chart, I’d land just over the line into XL for my bust, while my waist and hips would qualify me for an L. However, this pattern offers quite a bit of ease, and I typically size based on my high bust measurement, adjusting for a full bust (FBA) afterward. With that in mind, I went with a M shoulder/bust grading to an L at the hip.
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### Initial Flat Pattern Adjustments
Before tracing my pattern onto fabric, I always make a few flat pattern adjustments. These typically include a high round back adjustment and an FBA.
#### Back Adjustments
I made a 5/8†high round back adjustment and a 3/8†low round back adjustment. I opted for the low round back adjustment because I needed more than 5/8†adjustment, and that’s the maximum recommended for a high round back adjustment.
#### Bust Adjustment
The size M finishes at a 42 1/2†chest, which would leave only 1 1/2†of ease. I wanted more breathing room, so I performed a 1 1/2†FBA using the instructions provided in the pattern. This increased the bust circumference by 3†total, giving me a final bust measurement with 4 1/2†of ease—just right for comfort.
#### V-Neck Modification
While making these adjustments, I also held the paper pattern up to my body to mark where the V-neck should end. I then cut out the desired V-shape using Liesl’s tutorial for modifying necklines. Her tutorial is incredibly thorough, offering tips I might not have considered, like gently curving the neckline.
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### Muslin Stage
Though I don’t always make muslins, I felt this project required one to confirm the V-neck placement. I wanted to ensure it wasn’t too high or too low—both scenarios would leave me unhappy with the dress.
#### Muslin 1
Here’s my first muslin:
This muslin revealed two issues:
1. I needed to lower my bust dart by about 1â€.
2. I required additional sleeve room. Even though this is a cut-on sleeve, I still needed more space.
To address these, I lowered the bust dart by 1†and adjusted the sleeve hem by 1†to increase bicep room. I achieved both fixes simultaneously by cutting a rectangle from the pattern containing both the dart and sleeve hem, shifting it down 1â€, and taping it in place. I filled in the gap with paper.
Although the neckline didn’t appear to gape, I decided to shorten it by 1/4†to ensure it lay flat against my chest. I learned this trick from Liesl’s V-neck tutorial. Here’s a photo showing my adjusted rectangle and the line where I slashed the neckline to overlap it by 1/4â€.
#### Muslin 2
Next, I wanted to confirm the sleeve adjustment worked. I made another muslin, and this time, the results were much better.
From this muslin, I realized:
1. My shoulder seam sat too far back.
2. I preferred the sleeves slightly longer.
3. I wanted the V-neck lower.
4. The back neckline needed to sit slightly higher.
I adjusted the shoulder seam forward by 1/2â€, lengthened the sleeves by 1â€, lowered the V-neck by another 3/4†(for a total of 4†lower than the original), and raised the back neckline by 3/8â€.
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### Drafting Facings
With all my adjustments complete, it was time to draft neckline facings. Since the original pattern uses bias binding for the neckline, which doesn’t work well for a V-neck, I drafted facings about 3†thick by tracing the neckline onto paper. Here’s a photo of my finished facing pieces.
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### Fabric Notes
Before sewing, I pre-washed and dried the linen fabric on hot settings. I tend to rough up my fabric beforehand to ensure it holds up to regular washing cycles. After drying, I removed the linen immediately to prevent wrinkles from setting in. Once smoothed out and folded neatly, it was barely wrinkled except for fold lines, which pressed out easily.
This linen feels substantial yet supple, making it perfect for a summer dress. I already love this dress and plan to order it in three more colors!
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### Construction Notes
When it came to construction, I deviated slightly from the pattern:
- For the neckline, I used interfaced facings cut from the same linen fabric. I serged the edges, sewed the facings together at the back and shoulders, and attached them after joining the dress shoulders.
- I finished the sleeve hems with store-bought bias binding. My sleeve adjustments altered the shape, making it difficult to fold and stitch as instructed. Luckily, I had matching bias binding on hand.
- I prefer a substantial hem on linen dresses, so I turned up the hem by 1/2†and then another 1 1/2â€. This shortened the dress by 1 3/8â€.
After assembling the dress but before hemming, I tried it on and decided to remove some volume from the back. I took out 1 3/8†from the back center seam, tapering to nothing a few inches below the neckline.
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### Final Thoughts
I’m thrilled with the final result. The Terrace Dress hits that relaxed vibe perfectly, and the fabric and silhouette create a versatile piece that feels great to wear. I’ll style it for church with pretty sandals and a cardigan, and pair it with casual sneakers or thong sandals for running errands. Though I won’t belt it due to my waistline concerns, I could if I wanted to.
I’m already planning to make more versions of this dress in different colors of Fabric Wholesale Direct’s linen. What should I choose next?
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### Giveaway Time!
Fabric Wholesale Direct is sponsoring this giveaway, offering **$100 worth of fabric** to one lucky winner. To enter, simply comment on this post. The giveaway will run for one week, closing on April 25. We’ll announce the winner via Random Number Generator.
In the meantime, check out Fabric Wholesale Direct’s stunning fabrics, especially their colorful Madras plaids—they’re ideal for another breezy summer dress!
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