The Sprout + Kielo Wrap, Squat, Bend and Leap Dress

This was the hardest working dress in New York City last Friday afternoon.

Not that Friday's activity was hard work, I mean, it was technically work, but I had a BLAST. Wore it to an audition which turned into a movement call. Which turned into a dance call. HEY GUESS WHAT. I WAS REALLY GLAD TO BE WEARING A HOT PINK SPORTS BRA.

AND A MATCHING THONG.

(That last bit might be facetious. My apologies to those who were sitting at hip level.) 

Yeah, so, this dress was seriously road tested! It got high marks from passersby, from waiting room compatriots, from peeps behind the table... and what was the thanks it got for being so dang pretty? Manhandling! Downright VANDALIZATION at the hands of yours truly! Hiked up and tied into all manner of knots, when I realized the movement call included attitude leaps and deep squats!

I used the extra long, skinnified ties to keep it at an (in)decent level, and hoped the poly CDC wouldn't bust under pressure.

Because y'all. I love to dance. Even under threat of popped seams.

But she stood up to the squats! All seams are intact. Of course, this baby is going to need a good washing after all that booty shaking...and of course, I added leather embellishments to the tie points, which will now need to get soaked. Whaddayagonnado.

That back split was very helpful! But I might open it up some more, now that I know this poly CDC is basically made of stretchable iron. MOAR DANCING.

Hey, you know what dress this is, right? The Kielo Wrap dress from Named patterns, buuuuut it's via Sprout Patterns, and offshoot of Spoonflower. Caroline, creative director (and a woman possessed of absolute charm and actual powers of ESP), contacted me awhile ago about trying out their new service: customized cut & sew. You choose the fabric and pattern, and the pattern is printed in your size directly onto the fabric. I'm going to go completely off the rails on this "sewing" blog and actually review the experience! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

I spent a good long while playing with Sprout's project builder, where you choose from Spoonflower's vast collection of prints (I assume you can also upload your own, but I fell in love with Kociara's Jungle Lily print). You can play with the actual placement of the print in a little preview of the pattern layout, which is super cool. Under Caroline's advice, I chose Poly CDC for the stretch factor (THANK GOD). The fabric arrives with a white margin and a thin black line for cutting. The first thing you do is prewash the fabric. Of course, I wondered if the sizing would shrink, but nope, they factor that in, and it remained true.

I know this because I am omniscient. No. Not really. 

The only markings not printed on the fabric are the darts, because you don't want to be left with a permanent dart marked on your pretty dress. (Actually, on this technicolor insanity, it might not have been an issue, but if you're going all chic and beige like Named's sample, that would be no bueno.) You're instructed to print out only the pages needed for the darts (a PDF copy of the pattern & instructions is included in the Sprout kit), and lay them out over the fabric to mark the darts. Yes, I grumbled over printing those 4 pages. But it proved there was no shrinkage, which turned my grumble into a surprised happy dance! (And I'm making more of these anyway. Fo sho.)

I was on the fence about trying a pattern that I couldn't adjust first, because obviously, if you're getting the pattern printed right onto the fabric, fit adjustments are going to be minimal. But if you're not posessed of a straight-sized bod, the loose, easygoing Kielo is a perfect match for Sprout. Even with the cutting lines already printed, I was able to play around to account for my short waist. I took the back shoulder up about 5/8ths, and increased the seam allowance on the CB seam. Style wise, I cut the premarked ties in half horizontally, to keep them skinny & extra long, and lowered the neckline and armsyce for more breathability, as I tend to sweat a li'l bit in poly.

ESPECIALLY WHEN DOING DEEP SQUATS AND ATTITUDE LEAPS.

I gotta tell ya, I'm thrilled with the outcome. It's no secret that I adore maxi dresses, but I really do hate finagling the space to cut them out in a small NY apartment. It was luscious to be able to cut right into the fabric with no shimmying around on the floor.

Was it karma that made me eventually shimmy around on the floor anyways? Mebbe. BUT I HAD FUN, KARMA. I MUST BE A VERY VERY GOOD GIRL.

this dancing dress was made possible through a collaboration with sprout patterns.