The Sia Dress

Hello Darlings!

I have been wanting to make the Sia Dress by Marsha Style for the past few months, but I had to meet some deadlines this summer. After months of visualizing how this dress would turn out, I am so happy to see it in real life. There are a few things that I wish I knew before making this dress, so I have spelt them all out for you in the ‘tips’ section.



Fabric:

If you have been following my blog for a while, then you know I love a good crepe. Some of my favourite crepe dresses I made in the past are McCalls 8141, McCalls 7745 and the Sicily Slip dress!

The fabric I used was a stretch polyester crepe gifted from Minerva as an exchange for a blog post.

The quality of this crepe is fantastic. It is drapey, lightweight, opaque (no need for lining) and soft to touch. I love how it is strong enough that I did not need to interface it. The texture of the right side feels slightly grainy (almost like very faint crinkles that you barely see) and the wrong side is buttery smooth. There is also about 8% two-way stretch on this fabric, which was fabulous around the midriff. One thing to note is that the stretch direction was parallel to the salvage as opposed to perpendicular to the salvage as commonly found. It does not make much difference other than the placement of the pattern’s grainline on the fabric, which has to be perpendicular to the salvage. So just be mindful of that if you want your stretch direction to run across your body versus towards the floor.



Pattern:

The pattern I used is the Sia dress by Marsha Style in view A (unlined). It is an online pdf pattern with excellent instructions and video tutorials that are segmented for each step (bodice, sleeves, skirt etc). I loved how the videos were divided that way because the designer walks you through every single step of the process, from basting to sewing, to ironing. So splitting the tutorial into smaller sections made it so much easier to follow, making this sophisticated design beginner friendly. I recommend you watch the Sia Dress tutorials on Marsha Style website if you are also a visual learner and want to speed things up!



Modifications:

• Eliminated the button placket in the front of the skirt
• Did not create the side slits
• Sewed up the front V neck for a couple inches up
• Tapered the sleeves fit to get a better aesthetic of the sleeves ties. The fitter sleeves made the ties sit better.
• Handstitched the midriff facing
• Shortened the hem to just about under the knees



Tips:

For those of you interested in making the Sia dress, here are some tips that I think will be helpful for you:

• Make a muslin for the bodice. I found the fit to be tricky on the bust as well as the neckline coverage so I highly recommend you make a muslin for the bodice. I played around with the placement of the pleat under the bust while wearing the bodice until the fit looked right. For the neckline, I did not like the look of a deep V neck on me so I ended up sewing the two pieces together for about 2 inches up. Keep in mind that you may need to modify the fit a few times before you get it right. And it’s better to do all these adjustments on a muslin piece rather than your fashion fabric. Marsha Style also has fitting recommendations on the bodice of the Sia dress that comes with the pattern instructions.



• If your fabric is a crepe but stable enough, you do not need to interface the midriff. Although the pattern suggests you interface the midriff pieces, my fabric did not need interfacing so I skipped that step. I personally love the flowy vibe of crepes so be mindful that you do not have to follow that step. I did, however, interface the zipper seam.



• Be extra precise when cutting the bodice and midriff pieces and use a consistent seam allowance. This will help getting a perfectly aligned left and right horizonal seams across the midriff once you attach the zipper.



Conclusion:

I love a sophisticated design and this dress features so many beautiful details such as the sleeve tie ends, the bodice bust pleats, the darts, the side slits, etc. Keep in mind this is not a quick project (at least it wasn’t for me) and you need to be very meticulous when working on this piece. However, the final result is a work of art – I love everything about this chic design.

I know several of you messaged me that you are either working on this dress or are planning to get started. So let me know if you found this post helpful!



With love,

Ava



P.s Did you notice the new hair? This change was overdue for 1.5 years! I am not sure if I like my new hair more or my new dress! You tell me! (no wrong answers)