P4P Kelli Dress | Sewing Pattern Review
Looking for an easy-to-sew dress for every day or for a special occasion? Be sure to check out the P4P Kelli Dress.
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The P4P Kelli Dress
The P4P Kelli dress looks like a wrap dress (but it’s all attached) and features ruching on the sides. The wrap feature is quite flattering on many people and the ruching is great to hide any tummy imperfections. All in all, this is a very flattering dress that would work for most body types.
This sewing pattern features a wrap front, various sleeve options (sleeveless, cap, 3/4 and full length), and 3 lengths (mini, dress, and maxi). The maxi length option features a slit making it easier to walk which the wrap feature for the other two lengths has a built-in slit anyway.
The sizing for this pattern runs from XXS to 5X. There is a little girl version as well, called Charli.
I love patterns with so many options. You can sew it up more than once and make it completely different. The different sleeve options also make it a great design year-round.
Fabric Suggestions
The Kelli dress is drafted for stable knit fabrics. Due to the wrap feature, you want knits with good recovery. Also, due to the ruching, you want a knit fabric that is not “too” stable, as it may not gather well.
Fabric base is everything! Some thicker, more substantial knit fabrics won’t show the gathering or ruching well. Some fabrics like Cotton Lycra show every bump and lump through the fabric. My test dress was in cotton lycra and believe me it was not flattering at all.
The true test for me is the ability to hold the gathers and still look nice. You also want some drape for the wrap skirt part. So you want your knit fabric to be on the softer side.
During the holidays there tends to be a lot of “party” fabrics – fabrics with shine, like lurex or lame. Those fabrics worked really well as there was some really nice drape to them.
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Sewing Pattern Review and Sewing Tips
The pattern is relatively easy to follow and is appropriate for an adventurous beginner. Working with knits can be a challenge so a serger can be handy. That said, I know of many who sew knit fabrics with their sewing machine as well.
Due to the wrap aspect, there are a number of pattern pieces since they are cut separately. There is a back bodice, 2 front bodice pieces, a skirt back and 2 skirt front pieces. So pattern layout is perhaps not as straightforward.
The sewing pattern offers 2 neckline options. The pattern contains facing pieces. I used the facing pieces on my test version and it did not work at all. It was really hard to keep the facing tucked under and not showing. I was not the only tester who had this problem.
The best way, I found to finish the neckline was to use their other option, 1/4 inch elastic. Sew the elastic to the edge of the neckline (all the way around) on the wrong side. I used my serger with an elastic foot to do this easily. You don’t want to stretch the elastic, just sew it on. I must admit it stretches a tiny bit when you go around some curves. I don’t know if that can be helped.
Then fold over the elastic and topstitch. You can use a zig-zag stitch on a regular machine, or I used my cover stitch to do this part. The result was that the neckline sat nice and flat. The elastic prevented any gaping when worn. This was definitely the way to go and I highly recommend this method for finishing the neckline.
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The ruching is created by gathering. I like to gather using my serger. For details on how to gather with your serger, check out my blog post here. I found that in order to achieve the right amount of gathering, I had to run it through my serger three times – for some projects, it’s 2 – so you’ll have to see how much it gathers. For a slightly thicker fabric, it resulted in a bit of bulk, so it was probably not the best idea. When assembling, the gathered areas will have 3 layers of fabric. I must admit that my poor serger couldn’t get through the bulk of the 3 rows of gathering from my serger as well as the other fabric and I had to use my regular sewing machine to get through all those layers. Again, it depends on the type of fabric you are using.
If you are worried about getting those 3 layers of fabric to line up, I like to use wash away wonder tape. Simply tape all the layers together. I know how sometimes things can shift when you remove clips. This way it stays put.
The back of the dress features a cute v neck.
This is such a versatile dress. I think it’s one of my favourite sews of 2021. It’s so flattering and comfortable. Depending on the fabric, it can be a more casual, or everyday dress. Choose a fancy fabric and it can be a holiday or party dress.
For my finals, I sewed 2 versions. The first is in a double knit fabric. It was thicker and so it’s nice to wear in cooler weather. I made the dress length in this fabric and it is a bit more modest.
The second version is sewn in a lurex knit and has a bit of pink sparkle in it. This is the mini length. See how shortening the dress and adding a fancier fabric turns it into the perfect holiday dress? This dress is so comfortable! The knit fabric makes it easy to move and you don’t have to worry about how big a meal you eat!
I love a versatile pattern that can be used in so many ways and contain so many options. You really feel like you get your money’s worth out of the pattern. I can’t recommend the P4P Kelli pattern enough!
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