My most popular class at Cabbage Rose is the Bondi Top by Sew to Grow. It’s a great pattern for a beginner, and it lends itself for some fun modifications. It’s a dolman shirt with a back yoke and pleat. I have taught it in knit and woven, but never a dress version.

With that being said, after seeing this Burda pdf pattern, I knew I wanted to make a similar swing dress. I got the pattern awhile back during Burda’s freebie month, but it’s forty-five pages, and I can not bring myself to tape together so many pages. When I began teaching the Bondi Top earlier this year, I knew I could easily hack it with minimal effort and make my own version.

I have been eyeing this Kaffe Fassett Artisan fabric for awhile, so I finally bought a couple yards of it, along with half a yard of this Michael Miller Cotton Couture to create my dress. (I’m petite, so I don’t need as much yardage.) I love the jewel tones, and I think they transition well from summer to fall.

I made size XS and added about 3 inches to the sleeve length and about another inch with the band. I also added a bit of width to the bodice pieces as I graded out to the hem. I decided to create a high-low hemline and kept the signature back pleat detail.

If you can’t tell by that cheesy grin in the photo above, I love this dress! I am sure it will be worn regularly once the temps start to drop. So, what have you been working on lately?

Also, thanks to Lo (my 4 year old) for taking my photos for this shoot!