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Pattern Review: Sew House Seven Tea House Dress

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Some months ago the American indie label Sew House Seven released the Tea House Dress pattern. When I saw the first pictures and especially the drawing of the pattern pieces, I was intrigued. The way the dress was constructed was so different. Of course, the pattern consists of well known elements. But the pattern construction is remarkable.

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Pattern name: Tea House Top and Dress by Sew House Seven 

Peggy, the designer, was clearly inspired by traditional Japanese clothing. Although a prototypical kimono would be more similar to a wrap dress, the Tea House Dress pays homage to the original style in a big way. A V-neckline, cuffed dolman short sleeves, the flared skirt, the wide tie to accentuate the high waist – and the huge amount of fabric that is needed (almost 6! yards for a size 16).
I was looking for a fabric design that is both flattering for my coloring and somehow Japanese. I found it – no surprise there – at Art Gallery Fabrics. “Summit twilight” (out of the collection “Hello Bear” by Bonnie Christine) is super soft woven with graphics that reminded me of Japanese woodblock prints. It’s a variation of the traditional  “seigahia pattern,” the wave pattern.The pockets are made from scraps.

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Size range: 0-20, up to 47″ bust, 39.5″ waist, 50″ hip.

What size did you make? I made a size 16 dress in the longer length

What are your measurements, height, and body type?

Height: 5’’ 9’, Bra: 39 DD or 40 D, depends, Bust 42″, Waist 37″,  Hip 44″, Shape: hourglass… is that the word? Curvy in all the right places!

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What adjustments did you make and how long did they take?
The Tea House pattern can be sewn as top or as dress (which comes in two lengths). As you can see, I made the long version. I flipped the print that I used for the front panel upside down for two reasons: It slims the waist, plus it accentuates the interesting panel construction of the dress.
The second alteration was necessary, because the tie sat originally too high for my taste (and my DD-cup), so I sat it about 4″ down. That was super easy; after the trial and error process, it took me about 1 hour to unpick, measure, and resew. Same with the pockets, due to the tie replacement. And I lengthened the whole dress from the beginning cause I’m 5′ 9” tall. THAT WAS IT.
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What was the construction process like? Did the instructions make sense to you?
The patter is designated for advanced beginners… yeah, that’s fine by me, but although there is no zipper, it still is not that easy… It’s not so easy to attach the lining to the bodice for a nice finish, especially if you’ve never done that before. I now how that works, so it was a smooth ride. The rest is easy peasy. Instructions are clear and professional. Clearly, the designer knows her business (I wished we could say that about all new “designers“ out there).
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How do you like the pattern’s fit? Do you think the design works well for your particular body shape?
It’s perfect for hourglass shaped girls. The tie does the trick. A bigger butt is no problem – same with boobs. The princess seams are very flattering, a little tummy disappears under the wider tie. Personally, I think it might work best with girls with wider shoulders. Otherwise the dolman sleeves travel to far southwards, sack too much. And I like the results with the wider tie way more than with the smaller ones. But that’s my personal impression.
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Will you make the pattern again? If so, what fit or design changes will you make? Absolutely. If anybody asks me: “Want some more tea?” I would answer: “Yes, please!” I’m sure you can see why. Greetings from a coffee addict who loves the Tea House Dress. Next time I’ll try the shorter dress. Plus, I would test a different fabric design, such as big flowers…
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Do you have any advice on this pattern for other curvy sewers? Are there any resources (blog posts, fitting books, tutorials) that helped you sew this piece up?
I would recommend quilting cotton – and not rayon challis or voile like the recommendation in the instruction. Reason: I think it works well with the kimono look if there’s some additional stiffness. And thicker fabric helps to accentuate curves – and does not tell every secret! Last tip: For inspiration, look for the hashtag #teahousedresstour, #teahousedress, #teahousepattern.
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Pattern Rating System:  (1 is the lowest score, 5 the highest)

Size Range: 4
Instructions: 5
Construction Process: 4
Final Fit: 4
Overall Rating: 4.25, perfect for me – but maybe not that perfect for a person with a different body shape.IMG_4939

Comments

  1. First, this is to all the curvy bloggers, please, please, please resize your photos so they are smaller dpi and can load faster. It’s incredibly frustrating to wait and wait for the photos to load while reading the text that refers to the photos. Not all posts have this problem so I’m fairly certain it’s not my computer setup which has a pretty high bandwidth to begin with.

  3. Hi Bettina! Thank you for this pattern review. Your comments regarding the hourglass shape and lowering the tie and pockets are very helpful. You look great and I love the fabric. I’ll be buying this pattern asap.

  4. I’ve been eyeing that pattern ever since it first came out, but I wasn’t too sure how it would fit a curvy gal. I absolutely love it! Thanks for the review!

  5. Fantastic! Love the fabric and the whole look on you. Thanks for the fabric thoughts too – really useful.

  7. I love the look of this dress, and Bettina you did a beautiful job – thank you for the review! I’ve ordered the pattern but I’ll have to scale it up to size 24-26 for me, although I’ll be making it in a lightweight jersey knit which will give it be plenty of ease, making the scaling-up a bit tricky. no doubt! I’ll let you all know if it works!

    • I’d love to see your review after scaling the pattern up! I’m new to clothes sewing & fitting, & can’t bring myself to buy a pattern that won’t fit unless I modify it

    • Update! It has worked very nicely upscaling the pattern to a 22/24 and using a lightweight knit jersey. I’ve just got to finish the hem and tomorrow I’ll post a photo on the CSC FB page. I don’t know how they can describe this pattern as advanced beginner though. I’ve got over 50 years sewing experience and I found it quite tricky. I used my serger/overlocker for as much of it as I could but it’s still taken me around 10 hours including the cutting out.

  8. This dress is reminiscent of the “Scrub Dress” that I used to wear at work as an L&D and OR nurse. Maybe I’m gonna bring it back in this version!

    • You’re sooo right. BUT: Did you ever look sexy in your scrubs? Well, that’s the difference, hahaha 😀

  9. I really love this dress. Love the fabric and design. I’m similar shape to you and 5ft10″. So I could imagine it on me… (do you want my address to send it to me haha.? ). Well done. Really lovely.

    • Thank you for your kind words. I thought about it (a nano second). Unfortunately my answer is: noooooooooo! MY DRESS 😀

  10. I really like the dress. I would for myself make these changes … the tie would be in the back and the pockets the same color as the dress. Maybe I would put a small trim of the blue on top of the pocket. I may make another dress with a slightly shorter hem line … mid calf. I would make this dress . I really like it

  12. It is beautiful – and what gorgeous fabric. Well done – and I think I will take some inspiration from you and get that pattern.

    • Thank you Rachel for your kind words. When I wear that dress I really feel beautiful (I whish I could say that about every piece in my wardrobe :P)

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