P & M Patterns Muse Dress Review

I was recently asked to review a new-to-me pattern company that is expanding their line to include sewing patterns in English. The French company P & M Patterns has many lovely patterns to browse and I chose to make the Muse Dress for my first test. The Muse is available in English and can be purchased on their website here.

The Muse Dress is such a fun and flattering style to wear. I absolutely love the way the stripes worked out. I stared at my small piece of this seersucker fabric turning every pattern piece this way and that until I was confident enough to cut it out. I was barely able to get this cut from what fabric I had and I needed to piece together my ruffle portions, but all in all I am happy with the final result. As much as I love this mustard striped fabric from Hobby Lobby, it was a real pain in the rear to sew into a fitted bodice. As I sewed, the fabric stretched and began flopping in the center front. I had to pull the whole top apart to fix it, but I am glad I was able to make it work. I will be highlighting how I fixed it on my Instagram account–

I hope you enjoyed this dress, here is an overview of what you will need to recreate the look or sew this pattern and a full pattern review-

Muse Dress Sewing Pattern – I chose to sew View A with the ruffled hem, gathered waistline, modest front and back necklines, and the ruffle strap. You can customize the look you want with several different options.

Woven Fabric – I used a seersucker stripe from Hobby Lobby that was part of the Spring 2020 Seasonal Fabric. I picked it up on clearance and only had 1.5 yards to work with. Similiar Fabric can be found here.

Invisible Zipper – can be found here

Muse Dress Pattern Review

PATTERN DESCRIPTION:

A simple and cute summer top or dress. With an empire waistline, fitted bodice, and roomy skirt this dress is a great make for the summer heat. It will keep you cool while looking cute. It comes in several options for varying bodice looks, strap options, gathered or pleated skirt, and hem options. The bodice is fully lined with an optional skirt lining. There are two bust darts and a center back invisible zipper for closure.

PATTERN SIZING:

French sizes: 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48, 50 and 52 

This is the first time I have sewn a P & M Pattern and I found the sizing right on. I did tighten up the bodice slightly on the side seams before my bodice went and stretched all out (due to fabric choice) and then I had to go back and do a more extensive correction. That issue was a result of fabric though and not pattern sizing problems.

DID IT LOOK LIKE THE PHOTO/DRAWING ON THE PATTERN ENVELOPE ONCE YOU WERE DONE SEWING?

Yes, I chose View A with the gathered skirt, modest front and back bodice, ruffle straps and ruffled hem. I really love the way the stripes were able to be laid out to add some visual interest. I had to cut some pieces differently than intended (and did not follow the grainline on all pieces) to make this work. I was short on fabric, but I really wanted the stripes to alternate like this and was able to make it work while cutting. Aside from having to piece together my ruffles, I barely squeezed out this dress from my fabric. I am happy with how it came together.

WERE THE INSTRUCTIONS EASY TO FOLLOW?

Yes, the instructions are in English for this pattern and were translated well. I did not have any issues following the steps while making this pattern. The drawings that accompany the instructions are clear and easy to follow. There are a couple of lines in the pattern that you notice the translation is slightly off, but nothing that causes things to not make sense.

WHAT DID YOU PARTICULARLY LIKE OR DISLIKE ABOUT THE PATTERN?

I loved the empire waist, the ruffle straps, and the fuller skirt. It appealed to me for the cute details and the fact I felt it would be great in the summer heat. I am bummed it does not have pockets but they would be simple to add in as either in-seam pockets on the side or patch pockets on the front.

WOULD YOU SEW IT AGAIN? WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS?

Yes, I would love to make this again as a maxi dress and a top. I would recommend this to advanced beginners and up. There is an invisible zipper, gathering or pleats used, darts, and the strap construction with ruffles could prove challenging if you are just starting out.

CONCLUSION:

I love this summery fun dress. The way the stripes are laid out and the fun ruffle details make this a cute dress for the summer months.

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If you enjoyed this look, you may like these reviews- click on the heading to go to the blog post.

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Until next time,

Happy Sewing