Staff Made

SQ Steph Orchards Dress Outside Front One Leg

Steph's Orchards Dress

Posted
16—October 2024

Looking for summer dress inspo? Check out Steph's latest make, the Orchards Dress from Vivian Shao Chen.

Staff Made — Steph's Orchard Dress by Vivian Shao Chen
Oct 16 2024

The Orchards Dress is a romantic and casual sleeveless summer dress, a tried-and-tested pattern from Vivian Shao Chen. Steph from our HQ team jumped at the chance to try this pattern out using a light crisp cotton shirting. We love how this turned out for Steph, the result is cute and practical; an easy wardrobe workhorse for warmer months and a simple layering option for when the weather turns cooler. Read on for details and photos!

Steph Orchards Dress Front Pocket
Steph Orchards Dress Outside Side Smiling
SQ Steph Orchards Dress Pocket Detail Pattern Match
"I love the fabric and final result, it might just be my perfect summer dress!"
Steph Orchards Dress Outside Front Swish
Steph Orchards Dress Portrait Front
Project Notes

Pattern Used — Orchards Dress by Vivian Shao Chen

The Orchards Dress features gather details at the front and back neck opening, that frame the neckline. These gathers provide bust shaping and comfortable ease, and the neckline is finished with a cute rounded collar. View A is a longer, tiered dress and View B is a short dress with a fuller skirt. Both views feature in-seam pockets. Steph chose View B with the straight sleeve expansion in our new Vintage Plaid Cotton Shirting - Woad Blue and used 3m.
Her measurements put her around a size 6 but she wanted a relaxed fit so sized up to a 10. This was a great move, as the fit turned out perfectly! Vivian also recommends sizing up when using the straight sleeve extension.

Steph is an advanced sewist and made a few small modifications to the pattern. These included lengthening the bodice by 6cm and averaged out five buttons along the new placket length. Instead of following the skirt patterns, she also adjusted the width of the skirt to make it into a full maxi-length, with a nice deep hem. Steph recommends cutting slowly and carefully when using a check pattern like this, to allow you to match the pattern as much as possible. She also added a tiny set of gathers at the head of the sleeve.

If you'd like to try this pattern at home, you can download it from the Vivian Shao Chen website here.

Steph Orchards Dress Outside Front Smiling
Steph Orchards Dress Portrait Back
Fabric Recc Stack Orchards
Fabric Suggestions

Fabric Used — Vintage Plaid Cotton Shirting - Woad Blue

Vivan designed this pattern for woven lightweight fabrics, which we have loads of in stores and online! Check out a few recommendations above, from top to bottom is our Midweight Warp Stripe Linen - Ivory / Red, Organic Cotton Poplin - Artichoke, Scattered Hibiscus Cotton / Viscose - Aegean Blue, Slubby Cotton Check - Hellebore and Organic Cotton Poplin - Navy

Steph Orchards Dress Back Walking
Steph Orchards Dress Front Swish
SQ Steph Orchards Dress Outside Front One Leg

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Location — Australia