The recent arrival of three beautiful new Premium Merino colours in stores and online has us dreaming of the perfect jersey dress! We’ve seen so many gorgeous versions of the Tacara Dress by Seamwork and the Nikko Dress by True Bias over on Instagram, that we decided to make one of each! These would both make perfect additions to any trans-seasonal #memade wardrobe – the Tacara’s relaxed cocoon shape gives it an easy everyday vibe whilst the Nikko’s smooth, slim fit makes it perfect for layering!
Read on for our review of both patterns, kindly worn by Ella and Zosia from our HQ team.
Zosia wears the Nikko Dress by True Bias in Premium Merino — Acorn
Pattern Review
The Nikko from True Bias is a true wardrobe classic – simple yet flattering, slim fitting but not uncomfortably so and ideal for layering, plus the pattern offers a bunch of options! It’s still a little chilly here in the Southern Hemisphere, so we picked View D, the long sleeve dress, and chose our gorgeous new Premium Merino colour Acorn for Zosia. One of the great things about this pattern is how adaptable it is; we decided to shorten the hem by 20cm for Zosia which eliminated the need for side splits. We also adjusted the neckband from the patterns mock turtleneck to a simple 1.5cm band and lowered the neck by 1cm to accomodate the change. Both alterations were super simple as the pattern is so easy to follow! We made up a size 10 for Zosia and used 1.8m of our Premium Merino (150cm wide, with hem alteration). The instructions for the Nikko were very clear and easy to follow and recommend this pattern for an advanced beginner, which we would agree with. We chose to use an overlocker to sew our dress up, but the instructions are detailed for a stretch stitch on a domestic sewing machine, so suitable for any home sewist!
The Nikko Top and Dress pattern is available to purchase as a print-at-home PDF download or printed pattern from the True Bias website.
Ella wears the Tacara Dress by Seamwork in Premium Merino — Sage
Pattern Review
The Tacara Dress by Seamwork is an easy everyday staple featuring a relaxed cocoon style fit, dropped shoulder with fitted sleeves plus handy in-seam pockets. We chose our beautiful soft new Premium Merino colour Sage for Ella and made up a size 0, using 2m of our merino (150cm wide). Seamwork recommend this pattern for a beginner sewist and we would agree, the instructions are extremely easy to follow and include helpful illustrations, plus the pattern is a simple one to make up! We made up a toile before cutting into our merino to ensure a good fit for Ella and noted that the hem and sleeve length were quite short (Ella is 172cm tall), so we added 6cm to both.
The Tacara Dress pattern is available to purchase as a print-at-home PDF download from the Seamwork website.
Fabric Recommendations
Premium Merino – Sage and Premium Merino – Acorn
Both the Tacara and the Nikko patterns recommend using a medium weight knit fabric, so we knew our 195gsm Merino Jersey would be perfect. We love how these dresses turned out, how beautiful are those two colours together?! If you’re after something a little different such as a linen or cotton jersey, rib knit, Liberty of London print or perhaps another merino colour, all of our stores have a range of options available, including this classic bunch of Premium 195gsm Merino colours above. Colours shown from top to bottom – Ivory, Mushroom, Mist, Sage, Ochre, Acorn and Paprika
If you’ve been searching for a couple of fresh wardrobe staples to transition the seasons in, look no further! The Tacara and Nikko make an ideal pair and we’d definitely recommend giving them both a try using our merino jersey! Learn more about our Premium Merino here and view the full collection online here.
Don’t forget we always love to see your makes, share with us @wearethefabricstore using #thefabricstore