You can’t go wrong with a wrap dress. It has all the lines that flatter the feminine body. Petaluma is a faux wrap dress. It has the same beautiful lines, but with the convenience of a regular dress.

In this edition of Make It Wear It blog series, Jaime is showing us the how she is wearing the Petaluma for different occasions. Her dress is gorgeous, and I believe you can make one as awesome as hers!

Special thanks to Sly Fox Fabrics for Jaime’s beautiful floral rayon challis (the fabric is no longer in the shop, but there’s still a beautiful collection of rayon challis!) $6.99 US flat rate shipping is automatically applied during check out!

Hi I’m Jaime from MadeByJaime.com. I’m so honored today to be included on the Itch to Stitch Blog Series! I was given the opportunity to test Kennis’ first pattern and have always admired the quality of her pattern drafting and the features offered in each pattern. Today I’ll be showcasing the Petaluma Dress, an effortless, faux wrap dress. I’ll start by showing a few different ways to style the Petaluma Dress. Then be sure to scroll down to the end to see a surprising added feature!

1. Petaluma By Itself

The Petaluma pattern comes with three different sleeve options – short sleeve, double tulip sleeve or butterfly sleeve. The romance of the double petal sleeve just begged to be paired with this Sly Fox Fabrics Rayon Challis featuring roses and blooms!  

This dress has so many features, it can really stand by itself. I paired it here with some nude heels and no jewelry to really let the dress shine. This would work perfectly for the office or a special event. I look forward to wearing this dress to my sister’s Baby Shower in August!

2. Casual-Cute Petaluma

For a more casual look, I added a jean jacket, some platform sandals and my favorite wooden sewing machine necklace.

Wait! Did I fail to mention this dress has pockets?! Indeed it does and they hide perfectly in the side seams. They are there when you need them, and disappear when you don’t.

This is comfy yet stylish look for an afternoon shopping trip with the girls, which is exactly what my daughter and I did the day we took these pictures!

3. Coffee Shop Petaluma

For another casual look, I added a cascade front sweater, a long layered necklace and my favorite clogs.

This blue wall belongs to a great local coffee shop, serving delicious local food and a wide option of drinks. It is a common meeting ground for friends to gather and the Petaluma fits right in. With a book in hand, you’ll have something to keep you company until your friends arrive.

I was really surprised at how versatile this dress was as I gathered all my accessories and looked at all the possible combinations. It makes me want to complete this exercise with my whole closet to see what outfits I’m missing out on!

SURPRISE!

As written, the Petaluma does not include instructions for lining. The Rayon Challis I chose is beautiful and has a wonderful hand, but is thinner than I would usually like for just one layer. So I purchased some solid Rayon Challis and added a full lining. This took some trial and error, so I’ll share some tips with you here.

I actually made a wearable muslin in a different fabric before finishing this version of the Petaluma. In my first version, I did an underlining instead of a lining, being slightly worried that a lining would peak out of the skirt if it were separate. For both versions of the top, I cut the interfacing, but instead of cutting a facing, I fused the interfacing to the lining fabric and sewed the neckline edges right sides together and flipped to the inside, as you would the facing. After that, on version one, I treated the two fabrics as one, sewed the darts with the two fabrics together, input the zipper and attached to the waist as one. I did the same with the skirt, cutting and sewing the main and lining fabrics as one, hemming altogether, etc. This worked OK, but I wasn’t happy with how the lining didn’t quite sit exactly right with the main fabric on the skirt, which distorted the hem. It was also challenging to catch the outer fabric correctly in the darts while sewing both fabrics at the same time.  

So on this version of the Petaluma, I decided to do more of a lining. I sewed the darts separately in the lining and the main fabric before using the same method mentioned above to sew the neckline. Then I did treat the fabrics as one in the waist and side seams, all the way down into the skirt until I got to the end of the pockets and the zipper. At that point I sewed a line of a stay stitching just inside the seam allowance starting before the end of the zipper or pocket and ending about 1/2″ below the zipper or pocket. I clipped to the stay stitching to release the lining and main fabrics so I could work with them separately and then sewed the seams down to the hemline. This allowed the fabrics to hang separately at the hem. To make sure the lining stayed hidden, I trimmed it by about 3/4″ before hemming.

I love the construction details that Kennis includes in this pattern, such as using stay tape in strategic spots and interfacing at the zipper. It’s an extra touch that helps even beginners get a truly professional result. When I showed this dress to my sewing students, one mom declared it looked like a department store dress. That’s a compliment, in my opinion and I know the extra care taken with Itch To Stitch patterns are a big factor in achieving an amazing result. Thanks so much for reading. I can’t wait to see your version of the Petaluma!

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