Whatever Lola Wants... (Victory Patterns)

 

... Lola gets! Santa arrived in the form of my mother-in-law and so I got the Victory Patterns Lola, Chloe and Anouk patterns for Christmas.

With colored tights!

I just love the Lola dress. I tend toward sporty and simple pieces, and the Lola provides that but with amazing details.

With jumper, scarf, tights and converse.

Stylish. Comfortable. Leggy. Flirty.

Now I hate putting PDF patterns together, especially for large projects, but this was worth it. It took me one sitting to put the pattern together, one to trace the pattern, one to cut the fabric and two to sew. Much more time intensive than your average knit dress project, but I'm trying to slow down my making and I've been complimented every time I wear it.

My favorite: I was walking past a group of kids on the library steps and one young girl, likely 10 or 11, announced to her friends, "I wanna, I wanna, I wanna wear a dress that short! A dress like that!" It's definitely got some leg to it! :)

Pattern: Victory Patterns Lola Dress

Fabric Used: Charcoal gray knit in the stash, likely rayon/lycra. Instead of ribbing, used self-fabric for the hem, neckline and cuffs.

Size: Straight 4, based on my bust measurement. Figured there was enough ease in the waist instead of grading up to a 6 there.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Using my helpful dress form, I shortened the rear upper back piece to address my sway back and I slashed and stretch the lower front center piece until it hung correctly over a full tummy.

Instructions: Good. It reminded me a lot of putting together the Colette Rooibos — lots of little pieces, but really more time than skill intensive. Helpful photos along the way.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
This is really a fantastic pattern — there’s great attention to detail so it looks more complicated than it is. It really strikes that balance between easy comfort and stylish details. I like: the sporty triangle decal at the neckline, the princess seams to give great shape, the curved waist line from front to back, the big, bucket pockets (which are cut larger than the pattern piece it lays atop, fyi).

A few things worth mentioning:

-The pattern says this is made for a woman 5’6” to 5’9” but I’m so glad that I didn’t shorten it for my 5’3” frame. It falls about 3-4 inches above my knee as it is.

-The sleeve falls right below my elbow but the cuff is a bit tight and it tends to wander up. In another version I may lengthen the sleeve an inch or two and/or widen the cuff.

-Since this is a reimagination of a sweatshirt, the cuffs and hem are much smaller than the pieces they finish, causing the dress to pull in. I’m not sure if it’s because I used self-fabric rather than ribbing, but stretching evenly (without causing major puckers) was a bit difficult. I had to do the hem and neckline twice, and I’m still not satisfied with the neckline. Like the cuffs I may widen the hem in another incarnation, so it still pulls in but not as tightly.

-My serger hated the triangle decal, kept trying to eat the wee bit of fabric. I ended up drawing the shape on a piece of larger fabric and serging along the edges. 

With cardigan, leggings and converse.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Absolutely. There’s so much potential in this pattern. You can make it as is for a great casual dress, but you could also leave off the triangle decal and hemband (or widen it to the same width of the actual hem) for a really lovely knit dress with waist shaping (think: a gorgeous color or print). You could even leave off the pockets to streamline the shape or shorten the sleeves for a more summery look.

Speaking of knits, don't forget, it's your last day to enter the Sewaholic Renfrew giveaway—click here!

Happy sewing!