A Great Dress Pattern Perfect for Scrap Busting!

The Tidal pattern includes three lengths: shirt, knee length dress and maxi dress. Four sleeve styles are also included: tank, sleeveless, short and long. The back is full coverage while the front is a nice scoop- not too high, not too low. The princess seams are so complimentary on all shapes and give you a good opportunity to play with different fabrics if desired.

Tidal Top & Tank Features:

• Meant for knit fabrics
• Full bust option
• 3 lengths: top, knee and maxi
• Princess seams
• 4 sleeve options: tank, sleeveless, short & long sleeve

Sizes: XS-5X (See Size Charts here)

Skill Level: Confident Beginner

I Size Down When Sewing With Knits

For this Tidal dress I made a size Medium. My measurements were slightly larger than the Medium but not quite the size of the large. So I looked at the finished measurement chart and that's how I made my decision. My fabric was also very stretchy so I knew the size medium would fit me better. I always like to size down a bit when sewing with knits.

The Fabric

I had this pink and blue, kind of floral, fabric left over from another project I did a few years ago. It wasn’t quite enough to make a full dress or shirt but it was the perfect amount for the front panel of the Tidal knee length dress. I also had some blue fabric left over after making my son’s Thomas Track pants that matched the pink and blue fabric perfectly. It was the perfect amout for the back and sleeves. Together, these scraps were enough to make the knee length dress.

Finishing Touches

I chose to do a neck facing rather than a band. I like that look so much better. I used a twin needle on the neck and the sleeves so it would look more professional. A twin needle is my preferred way to hem garments and finish necklines. If you have never tried using a twin needle I highly recommend it. I have a quick video on my instagram that shows you how I use mine. But all sewing machines are different so you have to figure out what works with yours.

I think I would really like to make a maxi length dress with this pattern and a shirt as well. I really like the princess seams. I feel like they are really flattening to almost any body shape. I ended up not doing any top stitching on the princess seams like the pattern suggests. Instead, I ironed the seams open so they woud lay nice and flat. I prefer that look so much more. I sometimes get waviness when I top stitch on knits and I definitely didn’t want that.

Future Plans

For Mother’s Day I usually make my mom the laundry day tee dress, but I think next year I’m going to have to make my mom a Tidal dress. They both have similar shapes but the princess seams on the Tidal just make it so much cuter. I just need to figure out how to add pockets.

If you want to sew your own Tidal dress you can use code KOE10 to get 10% off of the pattern.

Happy sewing my friends!

Koe