Like much of what I make, I became interested in the Colette Patterns Wren Dress after seeing someone else’s on their Instagram account. It was one of those situations in which I was vaguely familiar with the pattern, but because I didn’t like the view in the picture, I didn’t explore the other options. And while I don’t like the cover version of the dress, the other view is amazing. So I set to work on the dress.

Colette is a pattern brand that I am fairly familiar with. I would say that they were my gateway into the Indie pattern scene. I no longer remember how I originally discovered them, but I started slowly collecting their patterns. I actually have a whole bunch of Colette works-in-progress that I’m determined to finish this fall.

The Wren is a simple jersey dress with a crisscrossed bodice, and I had the perfect fabric for it – a viscose jersey I had purchased from Sew Over It months ago. At the time, I had intended it for a different project, but upon receiving it, realized it wasn’t quite the weight I wanted (lesson learned… and I now know what to expect from viscose jersey). However, I still loved the fabric, and decided to put it aside, knowing that I would eventually find the right project for it.

Would you believe how hard it was for me to find the right project? All I wanted was a simple jersey dress, exactly like Wren, and it took FOREVER to stumble upon it. But I was thrilled when I finally did.

As I have gotten more and more accustomed to sewing with knits over the last couple of months, Wren was a breeze to sew. The only area where I had some trouble was with the shirring at the waist. While I do claim to be a relatively advanced sewist, there are few things that are the bane of my existence in the sewing world, and sewing clear elastic is one of those things! I just never seem to do it correctly and have to start and stop multiple times. However, I managed to get there in the end. Colette’s instructions are concise and easy to understand; it was simply my own loathing of the particular step that slowed me down.

I adore the final product. I haven’t had a chance to official wear it out into the world, but it’s extremely comfortable and easy. It will be perfect for my fall work wardrobe, as it can easily make the transition from the summer weather into the chillier months. All my photos are of the dress without any layering, but I am confident it’ll look great with a cardigan, tights and boots when the time comes for it.

I know that Wren is destined to become a Tried and True pattern!