The Sewing Pattern
This Ellie and Mac sewing pattern is like a classic tank dress with a circle skirt, but with a twist. It can be made to be reversible to give the look of two entirely different dresses. It’s aptly named the Reversible Dress Pattern.
This would be super useful on vacations! Wear it one way the first day, the other way the next. Or, what about for a day to night look – prim and proper on one side, lacy party sparkle on the other? Oh yes!
Pattern Options also include:
- Color blocked panels for the bodice
- Color blocked panels for the circle skirt
- 2 Different skirt lengths
Sorry, there is no line drawing on this one, but you can go check out the pattern photos by clicking HERE to see all the options.
There are no sleeves included in this pattern, however, I’m sure sleeves from a different pattern would fit on the bodice, you would just need to ask the designer which ones would work! You can check out the Ellie and Mac Facebook Group for questions.
My Dress
Fabric Indecision
I debated for a week on what fabrics to use for this dress and whether I wanted this specific make to be reversible. I think I pulled out at least 20 different fabrics before I settled on the combo you see in the pictures above.
I love the color blocked look, especially through the bodice, but I could not decide what combination of fabrics to use! Every night after the kids went to bed, I sat in front of my fabrics exhaustedly staring at them until I felt overwhelmed and decided to watch tv instead.
Since I was having such a hard time deciding, I came to the conclusion that simpler would be better for me right now. So, what you see in my pictures is that the bodice main fabric coordinates with the skirt. And the lining for the bodice is the same fabric as the skirt. This way, I only had to pick 2! Phew.
The black floral is dbp from Knitpop, and the pink is a sweater knit feel fabric that I picked up as a remnant from Wal Mart.
After making the dress, I think it would also be cute to use the same fabric for both the bodice side panels and skirt side panels. The main front and back bodice and main front and back skirt fabric could also be the same so that you are still only picking 2 fabrics.
If you do decide to make the dress fully reversible, I highly recommend using lighter weight fabrics so that the dress stays cool and light weight!
My Options
Bodice
In order to make the bodice one color, I used the lining pattern piece for both the bodice main and bodice lining. I thought about banding or binding the bodice, but I really do like the look of a lined bodice and the simplicity of sewing the neckline and arm scye without bands/bindings.
You will need to use the Burrito Roll Method for this pattern. There are of course instructions in the PDF pattern file, but if you need extra help, I made a short video tutorial on the Burrito Roll on Instagram! You can watch that by clicking HERE.
Skirt Length
The two skirt length options are Mini and Midi. In other words, mid thigh or mid shin length. I really wanted an in between, so I added 2 inches to the Mini length to make the skirt come to just above the knee. This is really easy to do with a ruler. You can mark it with a fabric pen first, or just cut it with the ruler at 2 inches from the hemline around each end of the skirt pattern pieces.
Look at the picture below if you aren’t sure what I mean. I just slid the ruler along the bottom as I was cutting at the hemline.
This brought the skirt hem to a more modest length and it’s where I prefer to wear my skirts in hot weather.
Happy and Excited
Well, I’m happy with this make and excited for the weather that allows me to where it! I can’t wait to get out of the house everyday, if only to tramp back to my garden and enjoy the sun on my skin.
If you are interested in this dress pattern you can check it out using the link below to the Ellie and Mac Pattern website:
Ellie and Mac Reversible Dress Pattern
If you want to see other Ellie and Mac Patterns I’ve written about, you can check those out HERE.
If you have any questions, feel free to write me in the comment section below. It will email me with your comment!
Happy Sewing!
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