I've had the Tea House dress pattern for ages, and it has gone into my donation pile more than once, but I always pulled it out again, thinking: someday I will make this. Since 2021 appears to be my year of Sew House 7, it was time to crack this one open and look inside. (You might need to shield your eyes...)
I admit, the amount of fabric this pattern requires has been the main thing holding me back--3.5 yards of 60" wide fabric! It seems excessive for such a dress. For reference, almost all my dresses to date have used 2-2.5 yards of fabric, usually with usable scraps left over. I was also put off by the sheer number of pieces and steps, and the fact that getting the ease right seemed tricky (this pattern has a LOT of ease). I did make a few attempts to replicate it myself a couple of years ago, but never really got something I liked, which also made me hesitate to make it. If I'm going to purpose buy 3.5 yards of fabric, I want to be fairly certain that the finished make is going to be a winner.
Last week sometime, I was idly browsing the Tea House hashtag on Instagram, and came across this version, and instantly fell in love with it. The color, the fit, everything about it sang to me. I thought I'd better toile it, though, given the amount of fabric involved and the relative price of linen. I looked at the finished garment measurements to choose my size, given the amount of ease involved, and went with an 8, which was a similar finish to my optimal Remy size, which is also an 8. My measurements put me between an 8 and 10 on top and 12 on the bottom, for reference. It would have been very...voluminous to cut a straight 12.
Since I try to cut my makes efficiently, I have some fair lengths of linen left over from various projects, so I thought to try a color-blocked version as a toile. I sort of hoped to get something wearable in the end, so I tried to think about what would look good together, as well as work with the odd lengths and sizes of fabric I had to work with. The size of the back piece meant I had to use my nutmeg linen, since it was the only piece big enough, and even then I had to piece a small triangle on the lower part of the skirt (no biggie, it hardly shows). I didn't have enough to get the yoke pieces out of (either the back or front), so I used the rest to cut the pockets and sleeve cuffs.
The front is a patchwork quilt of pieces, and I was limited by the size
of the pieces I had, plus what would work with the nutmeg linen on the
back. I had to significantly piece the ties, but it isn't obvious.
There are fumes of that Biking Red linen left. Not bad for two
yards--two and a half tops (a colorblocked Emerald for me and a friend, plus this year's Remy) and the double yoke and ties on this dress. On the upside, the blocking makes the design lines very obvious!
The changes I made to the pattern were to omit the interfacing (which was a mistake on the pockets, but not the yoke or back facing), and to shorten the sleeves before adding the cuffs. I cut view B, but cut the length at size 20, to get the dress to 43-ish inches. View C came in at 47 inches, which would have been nearly maxi length on me, and I don't think I could have made it on the scraps I had to work with anyway.
What I didn't like: the cuff construction and attachment as instructed make no sense, so I did it my own way to get a cleaner finish and hide the seam. (Basically, instead of seaming it after folding in half, I seamed before folding, then turned the seam allowance to the inside and then folded). I attached it like you attach a waistband, then turned out and pressed, then folded back and tacked down. Much cleaner. The cuff pattern is slightly too small for the sleeve opening, so I had to ease the pieces in slightly. I'd give another 1/2" for a decent seam allowance. Similarly, the back box pleat instructions don't make sense. I ended up with the right thing, but that was owing to having done box pleats before.
The seam allowances are HUGE. As a fitting matter, I suppose it makes sense, and it does give one some wiggle room to let out if things change, but it also makes for more fabric needed. The seam allowances are 5/8" mostly, which gives the option for French seams, but the only places you could really do them was on the sides. French seams aren't super practical with a cut-on sleeve since it has to be clipped at the curve. I suppose you could clip the first seam allowance and hope for the best when you enclose it on the second seam.
Also, the front of the dress ends up without any curve to the hem, so it
doesn't match the back once the two sides are put together. I had to
re-cut the front hem to match the back (and take off about an inch of
the back of the dress in the process).
So here's the good: the pocket construction is clever, and the finishes are super clean, especially on the back facing and yoke. I found the process of sewing this dress very enjoyable because of all the little details. The waist ties are intelligently constructed to wrap around the waist nicely (they angle down slightly when you attach them), and are a good length. The dress is reasonably comfortable. But I don't think I'll be wearing this toile. A solid version (preferrably in some shade of sunset!) would be nice! I'd probably go for the slightly longer tea length next time, use bias to finish the hem instead of turning, and shorten the sleeves a bit more, as they came out at pattern length on my arms, even after I removed an inch! #hobbitproportions
So, a good skill expansion pattern, and I can harvest the dress for parts if need be.
