Hi there! 

My name is Rachel and today I’m showing you the Simple Sew Zoe dress.

I was supplied the fabric by White Tree, and although it’s a nice fabric it’s not one I would have picked for this dress. Unfortunately there was a little mix up and I was sent a substitute instead. It’s important to know just because I don’t think the finer details of the dress are showed off enough due to the polka dots. This also isn’t a dig at White Tree – it’s just one of those things! I would have bought denim for myself for it and used this as a wearable toile, but between the house and my car service, life is just eating up spare money that I could have used on fabric!

So we’ll keep in mind that this is probably better seen as a toile, with a denim version with golden top stitching as the end result! 

The pattern is really simple (maybe that’s why they’re called Simple Sew, eh?!) and sewed up in just four pieces.  

 Both the front and back are sewn up in two halves, which really gives you the opportunity to go with some top stitching options. I used white for mine, but it gets lost in the polka dots.  

The sleeves are grown on, so no worries about having to set anything in. They’ve got little cuffs that you sew on before you sew the sides of the dress up.  

The pocket is a nice feature on the side, and breaks up what could be quite a plain dress.

I had no problems following the pattern; the facing finishes the neck nice and neatly! The topstitching on the facing is 3cm from the neckline, which again gives you the chance for some top stitching fun!   

I did have to make changes to the pattern, mainly because of the length. I took a whopping 4 inches off the bottom of it! I wouldn’t say I’m overly short at 5’4” so that’s something to keep in mind. I also really struggled to walk in it, it was too tight. So I unpicked three inches from the bottom of the side seams and put these little splits in. Now it’s much better! 

If I was to make a denim version, I would lower the neckline a bit as I’m a bit funny about things touching my neck! I would also cut a bigger size for the top, and it’s pulling strangely on the back. However I know from previous makes that grown on sleeves don’t tend to sit well on me, so this might be why I’ve got those lines! 

Overall it was an easy sew, and in the right fabric I think you’d have a cute denim/linen shift dress.