Cashmerette Upton Dress

The Upton dress has been on my sewing list for a very long time. I’ve seen many versions of this dress and each time it pops up I am reminded that I want to make it. So when the opportunity came to test the new expansion pack, I enthusiastically said yes. I regularly test for Cashmerette and I’ve always had a positive experience.

I previously shared a tea length Upton skirt, so I thought it would be great to share the other two I made. My tester version was the maxi length pleated skirt. I have very few maxi skirts in my closet so I thought it would be a fun and interesting adventure. I used an African wax print that my sister gave to me last year. I think its a perfect pattern and fabric pairing. The print of this fabric is vibrant and the pleats worked out well on this cotton base. Of course there are pockets! It pairs nicely with my Saybrook tank and Seamwork Rhett jacket.

I also made another version for my birthday. I wanted to make something fun and funky. I had this abstract print cotton lawn in my stash and I thought it would be great for an Upton dress. I used the princess seams because wow princess seams are amazing on a fitted bodice for big boobs. I didn’t realize I was team princess seams until now, but I absolutely am. I also chose the short sleeves and knee length gored skirt. This fabric is lighter than my previous version so I thought a gored skirt would be better than pleats. I used the v neck for the front and back because I like that silhouette. The expansion pack has a LOT of options to choose from so I wanted to make sure I included all of the choices I made for this version.

I think this pattern expansion is pretty amazing because it offers so many options. So many. I’m also excited that it’s offered in sizes 12 to 32. I love how this turned out. It has pockets and the fit is spot on. I haven’t been making a lot of fitted garments lately, but I am glad this is the pattern I chose to jump back in. This is probably my best invisible zipper to date. I used an invisible zipper foot and gently pressed the zipper teeth with an iron on low heat. I’m excited to improve my sewing skills in general, especially with an invisible zipper. I’m glad I chose an abstract print because I didn’t have to pattern match anything. I like how all of the panels look together and would absolutely make another printer version.

I might try a higher back in my future versions because zipping this up on my own is tricky. It’s really just about where the zipper stops. If it stopped higher I might be able to reach it a bit better. That’s not an issue with the git or the pattern, just with me having to put it on myself. I like using cotton for this pattern because it comes in so many amazing prints and patterns. I also would like to try this in a linen or maybe even a rayon for a floaty romantic version. I also plan on making a bunch of skirts at the knee and midi length because I don’t have a lot of skirts in general.