Part of what I’ve been trying to do during this quarantine period is finishing up a ton of stuff from my Unfinished Projects Pile. The Darling Ranges Dress from Megan Nielsen Patterns has been sitting in that pile for at least a year. I’m not even positive just how long it’s been there, but I know it had to have been last summer at the earliest that I cut it out. And then I promptly put it in a drawer and just didn’t make it.

I quickly learned I was being ridiculous. Once I started making the dress, I was able to finish it in a few hours, and that includes sewing on the buttons. The only snag I ran into was that I realized I only cut out one set of pocket bags… and I didn’t have any leftover fabric. The fabric I used from leftover from another project to begin with, so by the time I cut this dress out, I had no large scraps left.

I didn’t have any fabric that matched the original, so I decided to go for a pleasing contrast instead. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter as the pocket can’t be seen from the outside of the dress anyway, but I like to coordinate jus the same. This cranberry colored fabric I had on hand was perfect for the job as it was approximately the same weight as the original.

The dress went together quickly and easily, and that includes the step of making my own binding for the neckline. You can also use pre-made binding if making your own it not your thing, but it was so easy and it looks so nice matching that I wanted to do it myself! Should I make this dress again, I’m sure there are instances when I will also use premade to make it easier.

Other than that, it was straightforward to anyone with a basic sewing skill set. You need to know how to put in gathers and sew buttonholes and buttons but there are no major special techniques you need to know to be successful with this one.

I am pretty pleased with the finished product, and (though I don’t have pictures of me “in the wild,” I actually got to wear it somewhere).

The fabric I used for this one was from an older collection (Amalfi, I think?) from Rifle Paper Co. I don’t believe it is available on their website anymore, but you might be able to find it somewhere like fabric.com or something.

This is my first foray into making a Megan Nielsen Pattern, and I definitely want to try some more!