Hello again! I'm finally back with another blog post. Today's post will be about a lavender summer dress I recently completed using a pattern from This is Kachi. I'm super excited to share it, because I've worn it countless times since completion, and I've found it to be the perfect weight for the summer here in Japan. Let's get right into it!

Late May and June in Japan is always marked by the hydrangea blooms that seemingly spring up in every corner. I suppose it's actually hydrangea season in many places around the world, but I never really noticed them until I moved here. People always talk about cherry blossom season as one of Japan's major attractions, but I'd actually argue that hydrangea season is much more beautiful (and the blooms last so much longer!)

Although there are hydrangeas everywhere, the park I specifically visited is Cape Togenkyo (桃源郷岬, literally meaning something like Cape Shangri-La) in Kadogawa town. If you ever find yourself on Kyushu Island during May or June, I'd absolutely recommend making a trip. It's an inexpensive stop, and it's truly, absolutely, overflowing with flowers. I've never seen anything like it!

Now onto the actual project!

MATERIALS

I found the lovely lavender linen at my nearest Craft Heart Tokai. I knew I was planning to make a lavender summer dress sometime this year, so I bought this dress in anticipation without having picked a pattern. This is almost always a risk, and I bought everything that was left on the bolt (just shy of 4 meters). I'm glad I did this, because I used every single scrap of fabric that I bought. The fabric isn't very wide, and the sleeves are SO full.

Here's a link to the product page for this fabric. It's the perfect weight for summer here, and I don't feel overheated or anything wearing it (even with long sleeves).

The matching waist cord was found at my local Pandora House. They had a few different thicknesses and slight color variations, and I ultimately chose to get a pre-cut 3 meter pack in a 5 mm thickness. The color was not a 100% match, but it's so close I don't notice it.

Although I sometimes gripe about finding fabric here in Japan, these materials (linen and colored cord) are always in ample supply. So, lightweight summer garments are not difficult to create.

Now, onto the pattern!

THE PATTERN

I discovered this pattern by searching for tiered summer dresses on Etsy. I found a few options that were suitable, but I ultimately selected this one, because I liked the length and the sleeve options. I'm not a huge fan on maxi-skirts, but I still wanted something tiered.

Here's a link to the pattern: Click here

The pattern is the Wrap Dress Delilah from creator This is Kachi. She is a pattern designer and Etsy seller who also creates fashion and sewing-related Youtube content. It appears that most of her patterns, including this one, have accompanying Youtube videos. In the video for this pattern, she starts by showing her design and pattern creating process. So, if you're particularly pattern-savvy, you can probably create the pattern yourself without the need to purchase it. I also highly recommend checking out her channel- she has some helpful videos about using Adobe Illustrator and the design process.

Overall, the construction process is fairly straightforward. If you've sewn dresses or tiered skirts before, I think the construction process will be easy to understand. There are no tricky closures (no buttons, zippers, or hook and eyes) to worry about; instead, the dress is worn only by tying a waist cord through holes sewn into the side seams of the waistband. In addition, the sleeves are sewn in flat rather than in the round, making the overall construction order a little easier. The tiers are gathered and sewn as one would expect- this may take a considerable amount of time and use a large amount of fabric.

Although this dress wasn't too difficult to construct, I'm hesitant to recommend it to beginners. For someone new to sewing, some of the steps may be a bit difficult. Even with experience, I found myself re-watching portions of the video and re-reading the instructions for more clarification. Attaching the waist cord, although relatively simple, took me a few watches to ensure I wouldn't mess up the seam allowances. I also found the sleeve tucks a bit confusing. This was probably my fault, but even after re-watching the video, reading the instructions, and looking at the pattern markings, I wasn't 100% sure what to do. This is not a criticism of the pattern, however, because I don't often sew tucks. In the product description, it's mentioned that the pattern is meant for those that have already have an understanding of clothing construction- so keep that in mind.

I completely respect This is Kachi's hustle, and I think what she's doing requires a lot of time and attention. I know firsthand how difficult pattern making can be! However, I feel I should mention a couple slight issues I had with the pattern. There were a few typos in the written instructions; these were so minor they are almost not worth mentioning- just a misspelling and an uncapitalized word. (And I think English is not her first language, so this is not a problem at all!) But, I also believe one of the tiered pattern pieces may be labelled incorrectly, which could confuse someone with less experience. I'll insert a picture below.

My other main issue is with the size grade. I constructed a size large, and I found this to be mostly true to size. Nevertheless, I did find the sleeve cuff to be far, far too large. I don't believe I have particularly small wrists or hands (in fact, my hands themselves may be a little larger than average for most women), but the cuffs were so large they immediately fell from hands. I think this may have happened, because the size grade between each size was larger than it needed to be. Even though the overall size of the sleeve would definitely need to change for each size, the proportional difference for the cuff would likely be much smaller- does a size large person actually have much larger wrists than a size small person? I haven't truly tested this, and I don't have enough grading expertise to understand the full process, so maybe I'm completely wrong on this point. Either way, this was the only issue I really had, and the cuffs were super easy to correct, as they are only a rectangle!

All of that said, these issues do not detract from the overall quality of the pattern. After all, I'm sure I make typos and mistakes here all the time. The price is totally reasonable, and I'm absolutely in love with the end result. The dress is lightweight and flowy enough for summer weather, and it also covers enough of my body to offer ample sun protection. The details and styling are totally on trend, especially given how popular cottage core aesthetics and puff sleeves are right now.

Although the dress may be tricky for total beginners, I would highly recommend it for those with experience. And if this dress isn't really your style, I'd suggest taking a look at This is Kachi's other patterns. Her videos and patterns make creating on-trend looks an easy task. I also think it's important to support smaller pattern designers and creators, especially those who may be overlooked by the sewing community at large.

OUTFIT DETAILS

Although I normal like to provide full outfit details for my posts here, I almost don't think it's super necessary here, because this dress works alone as almost an entirely complete outfit. I styled this dress with some neutral heels for most of these pictures. The sole and heel of the shoe is cork, and the straps are clear.

I styled my hair in a large bubble braid, and attached bows around some of the bubbles. This is a super easy hairstyle to create with some elastics, and I'm sure there are numerous tutorials online if you want to create if yourself.

For coverage, I wear a nude bodysuit under this dress and lavender biker shorts. Nothing exciting!

And finally, because I've worn this dress on days where I've walked and explored a lot, I styled the look with my pastel Nike Air Force 1 Shadow sneakers. The shoes match a lot of clothing, and I've gotten so much use out of them over the last couple years.

the cutest orange bus stop!

My nails at the time also happened to match!

Both nail designs were done at Speed Nail in Nobeoka City. Love the ladies there!

It feels really strange to have a picture of my toes on the internet! But, I really did like the design, so I felt it was worth sharing.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I'm elated about how this project turned out. Although I always try to end my posts here on a positive note, this one I have truly worn multiple times since I've completed it. I'm actually wearing it now as I type this up! I highly recommend this pattern to anyone looking to make a cottage core inspired summer dress!