Jessica Dress ft. Indy Bindy Fabric
This post is my honest opinion using fabric I received free of charge from Indy Bindy.
I'm not sure what today is like in your neck of the woods, but around here, this morning has been filled with glorious sunshine, a fresh breeze, blossoming trees, and birds singing—and I don’t think I could dream up a better day to share my new dress that’s the epitome of Springtime in gorgeous Nocogou fabric from Indy Bindy, a relatively new fabric shop specializing in quality Japanese boutique textiles.
There are lots of ways to plan a project. Sometimes the fabric determines the pattern, sometimes the pattern determines the fabric, and sometimes the two come together so harmoniously, as if they both knew they were meant for each other, like this Rosemary and Lemon cotton and the Jessica dress by Mimi G. I mean, how perfect is the lemon and sundress combo? Once this match was made in my mind, there was no going back—I had to make it.
This was my first time making the Jessica dress after sitting on the pattern for months and now that I’ve made it I can promise this one won’t be the last. We’ve had a couple of summer-like warm days and this dress has been so comfortable for being outside with the kids. I was so happy with it I even did a little yard work in it the other day!
I wouldn’t say I’m ever intimidated by or scared to make a pattern, but there’s always a bit of nervousness making something for the first time, especially a garment with particular shaping like princess seams on a sundress. I decided to do a full bust adjustment of 1/2” right off the bat and it worked like a charm. I have just the right amount of room in the bust without any gaping in the rest of the bodice. If you aren’t familiar with a full bust adjustment on a princess seam bodice, here are some resources from Closet Case Patterns and Curvy Sewing Collective that were very helpful as I made this adjustment. Besides the FBA, the only other change I made was to use a 2” hem instead of the 1.25” hem in the instructions. Everything else fit great!
The only thing I would change on a future version would be to adjust the buttons and button holes. The dress is fitted and the way the button holes pull on the buttons makes it look much tighter than it is. The instructions say to sew the button holes horizontally but I think I’d like them better if they were vertical and the buttons could be more centered. Other than that, its shocking, actually, how satisfied I am with the dress virtually out of the “envelope”.
When I was looking through the Indy Bindy website for a fabric I’d like to use I knew that the lemon and rosemary motif would really suit my style. I love that its inspired by the Japanese countryside living of Megumi and Katsuyuki, the husband and wife duo behind Nocogou, and the Katazome method used to print their fabrics makes it extra special. The hand printed, small batch craftsmanship and intimate inspiration made me fall in love with these little lemons even more. Its such a pleasure to experience another individual’s world through their art!
The fabric itself feels so gorgeous. Its a good weight; heavier than a quilting cotton, and worked beautifully for this dress. It had the right amount of structure for the bodice but still enough drape for the gathered skirt. Its all around just a great choice for this sweetheart sundress, and would be a perfect option for other vintage inspired dresses or separates. Its also opaque enough that even for what is essentially a white dress, there is enough coverage and no need to layer anything underneath. You simply can’t ask for much more from a white, summery, cotton dress!
If I could package all the wonderfulness of Spring in one garment, it would be this one. Light, airy, fresh, with a delicate motif and a healthy dose of vintage feminine style—this is totally my kind of Spring/Summer dress. And with such special fabric from Indy Bindy, this is a garment I will certainly treasure. I’m already scouting the website for my next fun project! You might have seen Katie’s pink and yellow banana Palisade Pants which also feature fabric from Indy Bindy, and I am just dying to get my hands on some of that funky stuff. Whether you gravitate towards eccentric and whimsical or feminine and floral, there are plenty of beautiful options on the Indy Bindy website—like how fun is this print?? I can’t even, its so charming.
Thank you so much to Aims, the owner if Indy Bindy, for sharing her passion with me and introducing me to some truly gorgeous and expertly crafted Japanese fabric. Its an area of textiles I didn’t have much experience with but now I’m so happy that that has been rectified and my new lemon and rosemary dress now holds a special place in my heart!
