DIY Eyelet Dress: Kimberly Pattern by Athina Kakou

Eyelet fabric, circle skirt, sunny yellow color…yes, yes, and yes. When Athina kindly asked me to sew up one of her dress patterns I was thrilled at the opportunity to try out her Kimberly Dress. While picking the look I wanted, eyelet fabric kept popping in my head. I checked one of my favorite online stores, Mily Mae Fabrics, and sure enough this gorgeous sunshine yellow called my name! I worked on documenting how I created this DIY Eyelet dress using the Kimberly Pattern and I hope enjoy seeing the process.

**This post may contain affiliate links. Purchases made through the link help support the blog. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.**

When I first laid eyes on the Kimberly Dress I was drawn to the circle skirt. I love a good full skirt, but I knew it would be impossible to make it work with a scalloped border. However, I then noticed the hem band, which is cut on a straight edge of fabric and thought…let’s do this! So here I am, ordering 4 yards of Sunshine Eyelet and crossing my fingers I can make this work.

There were a few steps I followed to get the look I wanted. The main things to consider were what fabric I would use to underline the dress (where I didn’t want any skin peeking through) and what parts I would leave unlined to showcase the eyelet. After settling on unlined sleeves and hem band, I set to work. I found a yellow cotton sateen in my stash that my mom had given me. It had some structure and a slight sheen to it but it wasn’t the perfect color match. I held it up under the eyelet though and I was happy. I began cutting out all the pattern pieces for the dress as follows:

2- skirt fronts (both in eyelet and underlining)

4- skirt backs (one mirrored set in eyelet and one in underlining)

2- sleeves, only in eyelet, using the scalloped edge at the hem line

2 front bodices- one in eyelet, one in underlining

4 bodice backs – one mirrored set in eyelet, one in underlining

2 hem bands- cut from the eyelet only using the “fold line” on the pattern piece to line up on the scalloped edge. To do this I simply folded this pattern piece in half lengthwise on the foldline, and used this width.

2 front facing- one from underlining, one from interfacing

4 back facings- 2 in underlining, 2 in interfacing

4 pocket pieces from underlining fabric

After stitching the darts on the bodice pieces and assembling the dress at the shoulder seams, I added my sleeves. Because the dress pattern does not call for a lining and my sleeve pieces were not underlined, I opted to use french seams when attaching the sleeves.

Finally I attached the skirt pieces to the bodice, inserted my zipper and facing and had to decide on the hem band. After basting on the hem band, I decided it was too long. I tried basting it a couple inches shorter and it looked too cutsie, so in the end, I shortened both my hem band and skirt by one inch (or a total of two inches off the finished length of the skirt).

I pressed the seam allowance towards the skirt, serged, and then top stitched 1/4 inch away from the seam line on the skirt side to hold the seam allowance up and out of view from the eyelet.

I am really thrilled with the way it all came together and I have a fun little summer dress in this bright sunny yellow. I played around with styling it two ways. The pictures below show how it looks with a petticoat underneath. This petticoat is great, and super affordable at Amazon. If you like a little fullness in your circle skirts, this may be a great option for you:

Can’t forget these fun earrings- found here.

Kimberly Dress Pattern Review

Pattern Description:

The Kimberly dress is a gorgeous dress intended for woven, non-stretch fabrics. It has a soft V-neckline and a half circle skirt with a panel at the bottom. The design includes optional pockets and an optional tie belt. Version 1 is a long-sleeved dress, while Version 2 a short-sleeved dress, making it the perfect garment to wear all year round.

Pattern Sizing:

sizes 4-28 are available. I cut the size 8 bodice and graded to a size 10 waist/hip. Athina’s patterns always fit me very well. I feel like this dress is slightly looser through the bodice and waist only because I have lost some weight recently due to stress. I still made my regular size because I don’t expect this frame to stay on me too long, or I hope I kick the stress to the curb soon 🙂

Pattern Modifications:

Since I chose to make this dress in an eyelet, I had to add underlining to several pieces. I cut the sleeves with the eyelet scalloped edge as the sleeve hem as well as the hem band. I listed out specifics of what I cut of each fabric above and how I modified the pattern for the eyelet fabric. I chose not to add the optional tie belt and I did add the pockets.

What did you like or dislike about the pattern?

I love the circle skirt and hem band feature of this pattern. It would allow some fun color blocking details. I also love the v-neck and the 2 sleeve options. Of course, pockets are also very high on the list. My one complaint is that this is not a layered pattern, so it adds some time to the prep.

Would you make it again? Or recommend it to others?

I would make this again. I think I would like to try a long sleeve, but shorter skirt length version for fall/winter. Something that would pair well with tights. I also think Athina’s patterns are well made and thought out. The instructions are clear, the pieces all match and align, and the patterns are appropriately leveled. This patterns does call for darts, an invisible zipper, and works with a hefty amount of fabric for that skirt- if you feel like you are able to tackle that, Athina walks you through each step well.

I hope you enjoyed a look at this DIY Eyelet Dress using the Kimberly Pattern from Athina Kakou. Until next time,

Happy Sewing