There are some patterns which sit on my ‘to make’ list for a while. The Named Agate pencil dress is one of these. The pattern came out a few years ago and I have been following the hashtag on Instagram since then. Often if I am unsure about a pattern I follow the hashtag until I decide whether or not to make it up into a garment.

Being a Minerva Maker gives me a wonderful opportunity to try out different fabrics and patterns. When I saw the stretch suiting in two colour ways I thought it would be perfect for this pattern! I often find it hard to match fabric weights together when colour-blocking so I was excited when these fabrics arrived.

Many people say you should not wear Navy and Black together which I don’t listen to ;). Wearing too much black washes out my pale complexion so the softness of navy is a perfect pairing.

This dress has wonderful geometric sleeves and lovely shaping created through the panels. I knew that the mix of colours would show off the details of the pattern. When the fabrics arrived I was thrilled! The fabric is a perfect weight for the dress and the slight stretch adds comfort to a design which is very much a pencil form-fitting design. I made this dress to wear to work so the blend of fabrics makes this garment easy to maintain.

I made my dress in size 44 (I’m a size 12-14). If I made it again I would make a size or two larger. I left off the side zip which lets you into the dress as the stretch makes it easy to take the garment on /off. I found the back neckline needed a larger seam allowance as the back neckline was a bit high. I found the dress a little too form-fitting for my liking so I unpicked the darts in the front and back panels. To be honest I don’t think the darts are necessary! As the pattern is drafted for a 170cm body the darts were a bit off on my 165cm frame. My favourite part of the dress is the belt. I used black on one side of the belt and blue on the other side. The belt helps to keep my body proportions in harmony.

I know I’ll be able to dress this dress up and down depending on the occasion and will be perfect for any future work travel. I hope you like my dress!