I’ve always had a soft spot for all things cottage core as I love the softness and romanticism of the style. For cottage core dresses, lots of gathers and layers is generally key and despite me loving all the parts of cottage core fashion, I’ve never really delved into making my own garments. For a long time I’ve been wanting to make a gathered bust dress and after what felt like ages looking for the perfect pattern, I eventually found it. As I want to make sure I’m a master before making my dream cottage core dress using this pattern, I wanted to give this pattern a go to see how simple it is to make. So today, I will be making a cute gathered bust dress out of some stunning fabric I found during my travels.

Finding the perfect pattern, especially when drafting your own pattern is way too daunting, can be a challenge. Well over a year and a half ago, I decided it was finally time to sew my dream cottage core dress and I started looking for patterns. I eventually found a reprint of Advance 9077 from the Vintage Sewing Pattern Company and after purchase it sat in my stash – until now. This dress pattern was heavily inspired by the iconic blue and white polka dot dress that Marilyn Monroe wore, which included a gathered bust bodice and a layered gathered skirt. Advance 9077 features a gathered bust with a fitted midriff waist. The edge of the neckline is edged with bias tape which you make yourself. The skirt pattern for this dress is made up of a few angled skirt pieces and the dress has no pockets. My particular copy of the dress is a size 10 which holds a 35″ bust and a 28″ waist; ideally this pattern should fit me but I know most of them run a little large so I’m expecting to bring her in a little bit.

As for fabric, whilst looking through my stash, I decided I wanted something with a pattern covering a fair amount of the fabric so when gathered, it doesn’t distort an image. I ended up opting for some cute Navy cotton adorned with red Camellias. I bought this fabric in a fabric market in Busan, South Korea, and have been looking forward to using it ever since. I didn’t realise quite how popular Camellia flowers were in South Korea until I visited and found them depicted all over the place. Many souvenirs had Camellias on them so when I saw this fabric, I was really happy with my choice as it would make such a nice dress. Whenever I travel, I always try to buy some fabric so that I can create something with the vibe of the holiday once I’m home. This has always been a fun way to remember my trips and I have quite a worldly wardrobe.

Sew, let’s get started. I was pleasantly surprised at how simple this dress was to put together. Besides taking my time to space out my bust gathers, the bodice came together relatively quick. The dress is lined and I used the outer fabric as lining and overall it feels like a sturdy bodice. There was no lining on the lower bodice/midriff pieces however. The most nerve wracking part of this dress was the bias tape edging. I am terrible at sewing bias tape and no matter how many ways I try, it’s always wonky and the overtop stitching is not great at all. I made a decent length of bias tape by cutting strips of left over fabric on the bias, attaching them together and then folding the bias tape as needed. The bias tape is attached along the edge of the neckline and I’m so happy with how it came out. This could have absolutely ended in disaster but once I was done, I was excited to try bias tape in a pattern like this again.

When it came to the shoulder straps, unless I’m blind (which is quite possible), I couldn’t find any markings on the pattern pieces which told me where to put the straps. I ended up eyeballing the placement but I thought I’d mention this just incase I’m not the only one with this issue.

Putting the skirt together was super easy and so was attaching it to the bodice as everything lined up perfectly. I did end up taking the skirt up a few inches because it was just slightly too long but besides that it was great. After adding in my zip, closing up the back and hemming the skirt, I ended up bringing in the waist by about 2 inches and the back neckline in by about an inch. I knew I wanted this dress as fitted as possible to it looked really flattering when worn. I’m so glad I did this as it turned out perfect.

I am so happy with my first attempt at Vintage Advance 9077. Looking at the overall making process, I feel silly for feeling intimidated by such a pattern and now I want to make it a few times over. The South Korean Camellia fabric was a great choice and I personally loved the colours in the dress; I would love to make this dress in a plain colour and of course, a white cotton for the ultimate cottage core vibe. I found the fit of the dress with the above adjustments made to be incredibly flattering. I could not be happier with this garment.

This dress has been a lot of fun to wear and it was very comfortable whilst on a recent date to Aqwa (the Aquarium of WA). I accessories the dress with matching red camellia earrings also purchased from South Korea and then comfortable red Mary Jane shoes.

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