Spring Vibes in Ellie & Mac’s Be Dreamy Dress

I love a good, flowy maxi skirt and a high-low hemline. Put them together with some double brushed poly and fun, flouncy sleeves, and I have the perfect, “dreamy” spring dress.

I was reckless with this make and skipped making a toile. I figured $5/yard fabric wasn’t any great loss—aside from the beautiful colors—and I had a few Ellie & Mac makes to gauge the ideal fit anyway. I lucked out! It fits just the way I was hoping.

About the Fabric

Leslie Floral on Black double brushed poly from Surge Fabrics

• 50% horizontal
• 50% vertical
• Fabric Content: 96% polyester/4% spandex
• Weight: 180gsm

I bought 4 yards of this at $5 a yard, I have roughly a yard left over—maybe a little less. Meaning this dress comes in at a material cost under $20. For how great I feel wearing it and how comfortable and flattering it is, that’s amazing.

Double brushed poly continues to live up to the hype. For me, that’s especially true with dresses. It’s soft and comfortable, and the fluid drape is so beautiful in flowy silhouettes. The clincher for me is, at the end of the day when other fabric begins to cling to prickly legs, DBP just doesn’t.

About the Pattern

This is my first Be Dreamy Dress by Ellie & Mac. It was on sale when I got it, and with an extra discount, it cost me $1. Yep, one dollar. 

It’s an extremely simple sew. The only issue I ran into was with the pockets; they were not lining up correctly so I had to unpick them and just omit them. (Unpicking them was a nightmare. I literally had to go stitch by stitch. My lightning stitch usually isn’t that much of a pain to unpick, but I used wooly nylon thread in my bobbin and I’m wondering that had something to do with it.)

So, I’m not sure if inaccurate markings on my account were to blame for the pocket misalignment, or the fact I didn’t iron my pocket fabric, or if the pattern isn’t right. I didn’t bother to double-check. In the end, I’m glad I skipped the pockets; it’s much more elegant without them. That’s not to say I won’t add pockets in a future iteration.

One small trouble area was the hem where the front skirt meets the back. It creates more of a corner than a curve, which is awkward to hem. Having so much fabric makes it more forgiving, so whatever weird folding I did down there to hem it isn’t noticeable.

Elected Options

• Size XS
• +1″ to skirt
• +1″ to bodice
• long flounce sleeve
• high-low hemline

I was a little hesitant to skip over a toile, mostly because a lot of the photos I’d seen of other makes looked a little loose around the torso for my taste. I made an educated guess based on my previous Ellie & Mac makes and also the measurements on the size chart provided with the pattern. XS would result in negative ease around my body, and I was so thrilled when I put it on to find it hugging all the right places and floating out over the high hip. It’s perfection.

Notes for Next Time

• I’d like to redraw the flounce sleeves into a more oblong shape so there’s more material going over the shoulder and less hanging under the arm.
• I’m curious about using a sheer fabric for the flounce sleeves, or maybe even lace.

I am even now browsing for more DBP. I want several more versions of this dress. It is the pinnacle of comfort and flowy fun. It’s eye-catching without being risque, and I just love walking around in it with all that fabric fluttering behind me.

Project Settings

Serge vs. Sewing Machine

Sewing Machine Settings

Serger Settings