Deer and Doe Magnolia Dress Sewing Pattern Review

by Josie | Jan 8, 2020 | Deer and Doe Patterns, Indie sewing patterns, Sewing

Happy New Year! It has been such a wonderful festive season and for a sewist, the perfect Christmas dress is the cherry on top. This gorgeous red Deer and Doe Magnolia dress was the perfect Christmas dress for me. Although I did not finish sewing it up before the actual day, I had the pleasure of wearing it a few days later. I have to say I felt very elegant and classy in the dress which has a lot to do the fabric I used. I have come to believe that red compliments me a lot and I am embracing it.

Fabric

I used a triple crepe fabric which was generously gifted to me by Fabric for All. Fabrics for all is a family-owned business located in Leeds. It stocks an amazing range of beautiful fabrics which makes it worth a visit. However, It also has an online presence should you prefer shopping online. As a member of Fabrics for All blogger team, I am given fabric every month to review.

The pattern recommends drapey fabrics ranging from crepe, rayon twill, cotton twill to batiste. I decided to go with the gorgeous triple crepe fabric mostly because I wanted a red dress for Christmas. I did not know what to expect from a triple crepe fabric but I was pleasantly surprised. It is a medium-weight fabric with a good amount drape which made it perfect for the pattern. I used 3 metres of this fabric for my version although the pattern recommends 4 metres. The fabric washed brilliantly well and hardly creases which makes it easy to manage.

The Magnolia dress pattern

I chose to make the Deer and Doe Magnolia dress sewing pattern for my Christmas dress because it is a well-loved pattern in the sewing community. This pattern is a mock-wrap dress which features two versions. Version A has a plunging neckline, maxi skirt with a slit, and long sleeve and Version B has a regular neckline, short skirt, and butterfly sleeves. This pattern also comes in sizes  34 to 46 for printed patterns and sizes 34 to 52 for the PDF version.

Here is the video where I review this pattern if you would rather watch it than reading.

The making

The magnolia dress is suited for a confident beginner or an intermediate sewist, It has many pattern pieces to sew together which makes it a rather slow make. However, all the work needed to sew it up helps with achieving a good fit. The instructions are well written out and quite easy to follow.

I sewed up my version size 36 throughout without needing to blend into other sizes. I also opted for version A which is the maxi version with front silt and long sleeves. However, I altered the neckline a bit for more coverage. I also make a few more alterations to the dress.

Alterations

• I did a swayback adjustment to the back bodice piece.
• Shortened the silt by four inches which still came up to two inches about the knee.
• The finished dress was floor length which was quite long for me even with some heel on. so I shortened the hem by three and a half inches.

Finished Garment

I am very happy with how the Deer and Doe Magnolia dress turned out. I am happy to make this dress again but not so soon as I needed enough time for it. Thank you Fabrics for All for this gorgeous red fabric. Thanks for stopping by until next time ...