I am one of those unlucky people who can typically never use a pattern straight out of the envelope. Everything has to be tested and adjusted for my chest-to-frame ratio, among other things. I caught wind that Deer & Doe patterns are sized for a C cup and thought that maybe I'd have less re-patterning work to do, so I gave Aubepine a shot. . . And it was a wild success! The only alteration I did for size was to lengthen the sleeves for my monkey-ish arms. To do this, I simply left out the tucks, and it was perfect. Also, I didn't want the tucks in the bodice, so I just used the bodice front lining instead of the bodice front, and that worked out perfectly. The final change I made was that I didn't want the annoyance of a drawstring that would be likely to come undone all day and/or attract cats (I've got two that are wild for string!) and/or come out in the wash and need to be fed back in again, so I used a bit of elastic instead. Oh, and I fully lined the dress, enclosing all seam allowances within the lining, because I think a fully lined dress just hangs better, and because I love a dress that is as beautiful inside as out!
The fabric is a cotton homespun that I chose in part because I've had plaid on the brain lately, and part because I "didn't care about it" and so wasn't worried if the dress turned out to not be flattering on me, (as I was a bit concerned about this style looking a little maternity-like!) Once the dress was done, not only did I not think it looked maternity-like, but I absolutely fell in love with this fabric/pattern combo!
So, my conclusion about Deer & Doe? WINNING! I already have another Aubepine cut out and partially assembled, and have invested in a small army of the other Deer & Doe designs (Reglisse, Belladone, Sureau, Bluet, and Chardon). I think I have a new favorite pattern line!
