Ace & Jig Inspired Wilder Gown
Read about how I took inspiration from Ace and Jig's Daze Dress, and combined that aesthetic with the famous Wilder Gown Pattern from Friday Pattern Company to make a $425 dollar dress for only $45 dollars.
When you sew as a hobby, one of the other hobbies you naturally develop is stalking other brands and Pinterest. You like to know what's in fashion, coming in fashion and going out of fashion. I say that like it's gospel, but really this is just me assuming that all other sewing hobbyists do the same things I do. Honestly speaking, I did this before I started sewing. I was always obsessed with fashion (thanks Mum) and I loved going through magazines and cutting out what I loved and dreaming of the days I could own such beautiful items.
So now that we've established my fashion stalking background we can chat about how my latest Wilder Gown came to pass. Ace & Jig is a relatively new company that was brought to my attention. I don't know if it's because I'm Australian, or if I was living under a rock, but I just didn't know about them till about 3 months ago. Their clothes are GORGEOUS! Like, if you were going for the effortlessly-ethereal-goddess-chic look, then they are your brand. And let's be real, who doesn't want to go for that look. You know what I'm talking about. There has always been that one woman/man/they in your life that just gave you the "I totally just woke up looking this amazing" vibe. We all know one. So Ace & Jig is where I imagine these people would shop.
Anywho, I was perusing their Insta and just loved their new Daze dress in the "cake" textile; the gorgeous candy stripe print. But, as much as I love candy coloured stripes, maxi's are just a hard no for me. I'm only 5"4'; Maxi's are not my friend. So I hit save on Insta and Pinterest, and continued along my usual stalking searches for on-tread looks. Fast forward to last week, again on Insta (so much time on Insta), and my fav fabric store Harmony Provo were sharing how they had just gotten in their order of the Wilder Gown pattern and showing some of their fabrics that it would look amazing in. And then, time stood still, as they recommended the 'Roman Stripe - Dusk' fabric from Kaffe Fassett. I actually already had this stripe fabric in another colour way, but when I saw them share the dusk colourway it was a done deal. In 2 days, that fabric from Harmony Provo was in my little hands (and I have tiny hands; seriously tiny).
Fast forward two days...
After washing and ironing my new fabric (promise no more buying from this point forward this year...maybe), I sat down on the carpet and began cutting out my second Wilder Gown. This time i was keeping the long sleeve, I lengthened the bodice by 4 inches (thanks D cup boobs), and I shorted the tiers by 5 inches (for all those vertically challanged like moi). It was super easy to cut out too. I asked the hubby to bring up my self-healing cutting mat and took out my rotary cutter and boom it was done in 30mins. One thing you'll come to know about me: I sew pretty fast, but cutting fabric...well I fall down a time-spiral and it takes me all night, sometimes just for one damn pattern. Who knows why, because I sure can't figure it out.
Next, it's time to sew. I was pretty excited because I now have my new Brother 1034D serger/overlocker. Which meant way less time finishing my seams. And boy was I right. I finished it in one sitting, about 6 hours total. Bear in mind, that includes gathering two tiers, and I am SO FUSSY when doing gathers (another time-warping activity for me).
I did keep checking the fit in the bust, since my first one cut through my bust area (which I didn't mind with the last one due to the busy geometric print). Initially, without having finished the neckline, it looked like I was making a poncho, and now I WANT to make a poncho. Haha. Anywho, another reason I was super excited is because my sewing friend Emily was making one too and it was kind of fun having a friend making the same pattern. I loved how hers turned out. She opted for shorter sleeves and shorter tiers as well. A great example of how versatile this pattern is. So many tweaks possible to truly make it yours!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this project from start to finish. I never questioned what the end result would be, which is a nice change for me, who usually questions everything in every step of my projects. This is great for a beginner; super easy instructions, and they have these little points through the instructions that keep you motivated and tell you you're doing well. It's the little touches, you know. The end result is what I think is a high fashion dress, but without the price tag. Mine cost about $45 whereas the Daze dress from Ace and Jig retails for $425. Would I make this dress again? Yes! Would I recommend it to anyone and everyone? Yep! Will I finish 2020 with like 10 more of them? You betcha!
If I've talked you into it, you can snap up the pattern here! Also, I had way too much fun karate kicking and pretending I was an urban outfitter model so enjoy the pics. But, honestly, you can clearly see that this dress is beyond comfortable.
