I’ve had this Mister Zimi dress saved on my inspiration board for ages, and when I stumbled upon Just Patterns’ Ines Dress, I knew it was time to bring my vision to life! Although the Ines Dress is typically made from a single colour or fabric type, I couldn’t shake the idea of bold stripes.
Once I printed and assembled the pattern pieces, reality hit: the Ines Dress includes a whopping 26 pieces of fabric when you factor in the lining! Each strip is precisely shaped to align with the princess seams, so keeping track of each panel was crucial to avoid chaos. Being a naturally chaotic sewist, I had to overcome my ADHD and Fine Arts degree tendencies to slow down and follow the process. I used sticky tape and a marker to number every pattern piece, and even colour-coded the front page of the instructions in pink and blue—anything to keep my brain on track!
For the fabric, I went with my favourite colour combo—hot pink and bright blue. While the inspiration dress featured a pink and red palette, I felt these colours would tie in perfectly with my cobalt overdress, plus they’re my dream capsule wardrobe combination! I used 100% blue linen from my stash and a beautiful pink “linen-ish” fabric from a deceased estate (likely with some polyester, given its slightly different drape compared to the linen).
The outer part of the dress came together surprisingly smoothly, and I was thrilled with the fit straight out of the envelope! I was between sizes on the chart and opted to size down, which worked like a charm. The only adjustment I made was to pinch out a bit of excess fabric over my bust toward the armholes.
When it came time to tackle the lining, I audibly groaned—I had to repeat the entire piecing process all over again! After a brief internet rabbit hole, I discovered a YouTuber from Stitched Up who attempted to hack the lining but advised against it. Her advice? Stick to the pattern—it’s designed that way for a reason. So, I soldiered on and followed the instructions as written.
During this whole process, my magnetic pin cushion wristband was an absolute lifesaver. With so many panels and pins to keep track of, having my pins right at hand was essential. And since Sew Your Way gifted all 210 attendees at Sydney Frocktails their very own magnetic pin cushion wristband, now everyone can find out just how handy it is too!
For the hem, I wanted to give the dress some structure, so I tried a new-to-me method—a faux horsehair hem. While I didn’t have actual horsehair braid, I found some stiff bias hemming tape in my stash, which worked brilliantly to support the hem and keep the different drapes of the pink and blue fabrics from collapsing into each other.
And here she is—my dream Ines Dress! This bold, striped creation certainly deserves its own moment to shine.
If you've made your way to this blog post (congratulations, it's a good one!), but make sure you check out our other behind-the-scenes insights into the dress I wore over the top of this (yes, I covered it up with the Hubbading Faye Dress), and Zoe’s look for Frocktails, plus other sewing projects. Just visit our Sewing Room blog posts, and follow Sew Your Way on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok to stay updated on our latest creations.