June 09, 2014

Sew: Colette Moneta Dress


I may have bought an excessive amount of Jaywalk fabric.... Is 7.5 metres excessive?? I also got 1.5 metres of the natural colourway... I have plans people!!

A Moneta dress was always on the list, plus the competition Laurel dress. I also plan on making a Mandy boat tee out of both colourways. That might leave me with enough for a simple knit pencil skirt or something. Jaywalk overload! It is such a beautiful quality weight fabric. I can't get enough of it.


You've probably seen a million versions of the Moneta dress around the online sewing community. I think it's a fabulous pattern. I wasn't that keen on it at first but thought it was worth a shot. It came together beautifully and I've worn it a LOT in the 3 weeks since I made it.


I omitted the side seams pockets as I don't need any extra bulk on my hips, thank you very much. I also chose not to line the bodice. It's not necessary, adds a lot to the fabric requirements and would be too hot in the Australian summer. I simply bound the neckline with the black stripe. Otherwise it is a straight size XL with the 3/4 sleeves.


There is a little bit of excess fabric in the underarm area. I could fix this by sewing a larger seam allowance in this area. I probably should but it doesn't seem to bother me at the moment. Maybe one day... 

I had a bit of trouble sewing the skirt to the clear elastic for the waist. My machine likes to grab the clear elastic which makes it quite tricky to stretch and sew at the same time. I might try a normal elastic next time instead of the clear elastic. You can see in the photo below that the gathers aren't even. I seemed to have avoided having the gathers on my hips, which was a successful fluke of genius. Now, if only I could work out how to do this again... 


As I mentioned, I've worn this dress quite a bit since I made it. It is so comfortable yet stylish. I wear it with my beloved Cordova jacket and patent pumps to work or a cardigan and boots for casual.


Project Details
Pattern: Colette Moneta, size XL
Fabric: Black/natural viscose/elastane jersey knit "Jaywalk" from Tessuti Fabrics
Alterations: Omitted bodice lining and pockets. 

I should also mention that the length is as per the pattern. This is worth mentioning because I always lengthen dresses but I had to remove the extra length from this. I'm 178cm tall and it is a good length. My only other suggestion is to not over fit the dress. The weight of the skirt pulls the bodice down and makes it slimmer. Over fitting the bodice, especially in a plain fabric, would show every lump and bump. This happened in my Lady Skater dress and I consciously avoided it during this make. 


I'm super pleased with this dress and I plan on making it in a red knit that's loitering in my stash. Have you made the Colette Moneta dress yet? 

L x

Ps. I entered this dress in the Jaywalk competition too. It was a last minute decision!

16 comments:

  1. Ha! I made the same dress but out of the other colour way Jaywalk! I am actually going to gift it on to a sister as I did add the pockets and it is just too much fabric on my hips; that and all the gathers everywhere! I think your 'accident' would actually be a great solution to this! It looks better on you than me; well done!

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  2. LOVE! I'm doing a muslin in black for my Moneta - great tips thanks!

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  3. Another great stripey garment! It looks comfortable and super flattering too.

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  4. I agree on the fitting tips! I was worried about the neckline being too high on my busty frame but it turned out just fine once the skirt was attached, although it's lower than yours. Must be due to the amount of stretch in my fabric I guess.

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  5. Lovely dress: right up my alley!!

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  6. Lovely Moneta! And definitely not excessive on th jaywalk. It's such lovely fabric and such a steal at that price. I purchased 5m and just used the last scrappy prices up in patchwork nighties for my girls. Wish I'd bought more!

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  7. Yes I've made it too, I had similar trouble with the clear elastic, but I decided to gather the skirt with stitching and then sew the elastic on as if it weren't stretchy, more as a stabiliser. Worked a treat.

    Totally agree with your comment about not over-fitting. At first glance I thought the bodice was a bit short, but decided to trust the pattern and left it as it was. The skirt pulls it down beautifully, no need to lengthen for me.

    Here's a link if you fancy taking a look - I also did it in black stripes!

    http://nessahux.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/ma-ma-ma-my-moneta.html

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  8. Great dress, it looks very versatile.

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  9. It looks lovely :-)
    I have quite a bit of Jaywalk too, although I didn't actually buy it for the competition, because I am not very good at sewing to deadlines. I have made a top (unblogged yet), and I have plans for a summer dress, and my daughter requested a dress too ... lots to do :-)

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  10. It looks great and I don't think you can ever have too many stripes!

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  11. um yes, that's a lot of fabric you've purchased but I love all the dresses you've made with it so far!

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  12. Thanks so much for reviewing, I'm hoping to receive the pattern in the mailbox this week. Looks like a great simple easy sew that I can use again and again in different fabrics.

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  13. 7.5m that's great! I bought 2m of each but kind of forgot the comp deadline oops. I love both your jaywalk dresses. It's great quality fabric so I'm sure it will get used up eventually. I haven't made the Moneta yet but this post is very convincing.

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  14. Every time I see one of your Colette Moneta dresses I love it. Am a little scared to make myself as I think I would short and wide with that gathered waste. Good luck in the Tessuti Competition

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  15. Nice! I love the stripy Moneta! :) I made a sort of wearable muslin of this pattern too but haven't found any good quality knit yet to make a "real" version :)

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