Melissa dress, blouse and skirt

Melissa is a wonderfully versatile pattern - make it as a dress, as a blouse, or as a skirt! The Melissa dress is a sleek shirt dress, ending just above the knee. The blouse ends just above the hip. The skirt sits at the natural waist.

Double princess seams at front and back, originating at the shoulder and extending to the hem, bring a touch of 1940’s elegance. V-shaped pocket openings on the bodice and skirt, a V-shaped inset between the shoulder blades, and short sleeves with cuffs that rise into a gentle point all add to the subtle 1940’s influence. Slim pockets on the skirt are the right depth for a mobile phone or pens.

Melissa has bodice pieces for both B-cup and D-cup bust sizes. Along with the double princess seams, this helps make it easy to adjust the fit and get it just right for you. Make Melissa all in one fabric, or play with contrasts on the pocket edgings, cuffs, and back inset.

Details

Melissa is a PDF pattern with both print-at-home and print-at-copyshop options. The link to download your personal copy of the pattern will be delivered straight to your inbox on purchase. (Please note that the pattern file is a .zip format and will need to be opened on a laptop or desktop. Smartphones and tablets are unable to open .zip files.)

Sizes

Melissa is in Muse sizing 32 - 50 and has options for both B-cup and D-cup bust sizes. (See the sizing chart for more details.)

Suggested fabrics

Light-medium weight woven fabric such as sateen, chambray, lightweight drill, linen, rayon, silk, crepe de chine, flannel and lightweight wool. Lighter weight fabric such as voile, lawn, quilting cotton, poplin and seersucker are also good for the blouse. The skirt can be made in heavier fabric such as lightweight denim or linen/cotton canvas too.

The dress in the sample photos is made in linen, with cotton contrasts. The blouse is a cotton voile with lightweight cotton drill contrast. The skirt is in a lightweight denim.

Fabric requirements

Fabric requirements are based on size 50, except where stated. Extra fabric may be required to match patterns or stripes. Smaller sizes may be able to be cut out of less fabric, however the amount  below is the most you will need for the given variation in a fabric that has no print direction.

Inspiration

Want to see what others have been making with the Melissa pattern? We've collected some on a Pinterest board over here.