I am constantly browsing Instagram to find new patterns to make. I love it when I stop and look at someone’s make, only to learn that it’s the same pattern that I stopped at and admired on another day or in another post. I love seeing different ways patterns can be made up and I love finding new ones that I want to try.

More than once, this has happened with a Deer and Doe pattern, and it’s usually one that I had all but written off when I saw it on their website (hello, Myosotis and Sirocco which I was sure would not be for me but then saw beautiful ones on other people and gave them a go and love them). This didn’t mean the patterns were bad, just that I didn’t consider them my personal style. However ever, seeing others makes made me want to give them a try.

Enter Sureau. On the website, I passed this one by, preferring their other dress designs, but I started to see this one pop up more and more and really liked the look of it.

I had this beautiful lemon print rayon from Rifle Paper Co’s latest fabric collection. It was purchased during my quarantining upstate, and I initially had different plans for it. However, Rifle fabric is generally pretty narrow and this print was directional so I was having trouble with the skirt pieces fitting onto it. I went back to the drawing board until I found the Sureau Dress.

I was so happy that I had finally committed to a pattern that I got started right away. The Sureau is really easy to piece together, PDF wise. It doesn’t have a ton of pages & pieces, so both the taping and cutting goes fairly quickly. I was able to get that part done in the better part of an hour and get to the best part: the construction!

I decided to interline all the pieces, as the fabric was fairly sheer. Another option would’ve just been to do a full lining, but the interlining also helped give the bodice a little more structure, which was nice.

The skirt is fully lined as well, which admittedly you cannot see in this picture, but I didn’t want to have to wear a slip with this one, so I wasn’t taking any chances with the skirt.

This pattern went together so quickly and easily. Though I did it while working on other house projects (and likely fussing around on my phone), it still was probably a total of only about two or three hours work in the end (one of these days I need to start keeping track of how many hours I spend on things). It was time to try it on!

I adore the finished product! It’s such a great summer dress, but I’m also up for the challenge of figuring out how to transition it into the fall and winter as well – a cardigan obviously, and maybe green tights? Would that be weird?

I never get to dress myself up anymore so I was taking full advantage of the chance to have a cute dress on instead of my usual workout clothes. I even broke out the fancy shoes (though for summer I think I’d wear sandals with this one, but I broke my nice pair of sandals the other day when I was out).

I generally forget to take side view photos of the garments I make but this time I remembered (and was apparently very serious about it).

I definitely see myself wearing this one to death just as soon as I can!