asmita’s santa rosa dress

We absolutely adore Asmita's new Santa Rosa Dress! She’s crafted the ideal warm-weather dress using a gorgeous linen fabric. This piece feels like something you could comfortably wear every day. Here’s Asmita sharing her fitting process.

A woman sitting and smiling. She’s looking directly at the camera. She’s dressed in a blue-checked linen fabric. The dress is cinched at the waist with a belt.

When deciding between making the dress or the top version of a new pattern, my choice typically comes down to the fabric requirements. Naturally, the top version often wins because it uses less fabric, and starting with a top helps me gauge the fit before committing to a dress. However, when the Santa Rosa pattern came out, I immediately decided to make the dress version—something I hadn’t expected. Its simple A-line silhouette really drew me in, and I thought it would make the perfect summer dress with its sleeves (I’m not a fan of sleeveless styles). I also knew right away that it would be made from one of my more luxurious linens—a bold move for me since I usually prefer to test patterns in less expensive fabrics first.

Fitting and Sizing

With the decision to create the dress confirmed, the next step was choosing the size and creating a muslin. My measurements are as follows: bust 33", waist 31", hips 40.5". Based on the finished measurements, I knew I’d need to grade the pattern across multiple sizes. I was fairly certain the bust would require a size 4, but I wasn’t sure about skipping a size and moving to a size 6 at the waist and a size 8 below. Erica from the Advisor’s Circle offered invaluable advice that I’ll keep in mind moving forward. She recommended holding the finished measurement circumferences of a size 6 around my waist and a size 8 around my hips to check the ease. This was brilliant advice—I discovered that a size 6 at the waist and size 8 at the hips provided ample room. Therefore, I graded the pattern from a size 4 to 6 at the waist and from a size 6 to 8 below the waist. If I had stuck strictly to my measurements, I would’ve ended up with something between a size 10 and 12 on the hips, which, in hindsight, would’ve been oversized and boxy. Testing the fit by wrapping the measuring tape around my waist and hips (using the finished measurements of sizes 6 and 8) saved me from making several muslins.

A woman wearing the blue linen Santa Rosa Dress. She’s standing outside in front of a white wall.

Alterations

Once I finalized the size, the adjustments I made were relatively minor:

  • I lowered the dart by 1 inch and shortened it by 1.5 inches.
  • I performed a round-back adjustment of 5/8 inch.
  • I also did a forward shoulder adjustment of 5/8 inch, following the tutorial Lyndsey shared in her blog post about her version of the dress.
  • I adjusted for swayback by removing fabric from my waist.
  • Finally, I reduced the sleeve length by 9 inches to achieve the desired arm length.

A woman wearing the blue linen Santa Rosa Dress. The dress is cinched with a belt. She’s standing outside in front of a white wall.

Back view of a woman wearing the blue linen Santa Rosa Dress. The dress is cinched with a belt. She’s standing outside in front of a white wall.

The sewing process was smooth and enjoyable. This is high-quality mid-weight linen I bought a few years ago from H.P. Singh in Nehru Place, Delhi. It has a crisp texture but softens beautifully over time. Linen tends to shift a lot during sewing, so pins and I became great friends during this project. One final note: I didn’t make buttonholes on the placket. I sewed this dress while on vacation using a vintage seventy-year-old machine. Honestly, I lacked the courage to attempt hand-sewn buttonholes, so for now, I’ve used press studs. Once I return home, I’ll use my regular machine to add proper buttonholes.

Close-up of a woman wearing the blue linen Santa Rosa Dress. The dress is cinched with a belt.

How I Wear It

At first, I assumed I’d want to add thread loops to the side seams at the waist for the belt, as I dislike belts sitting too high on my waist. Surprisingly, I found myself preferring to wear the dress without the belt. I worried it might look overly casual or even like a nightgown, but so far, I’m enjoying the summery, laid-back vibe it gives off. I’m also excited to layer it over tights with a long-sleeved turtleneck and perhaps pair it with boots when the weather turns cooler.

All in all, there are dresses, and then there’s that one dress you look forward to wearing constantly. I think I’ve stumbled upon that special one!

A woman wearing the blue linen Santa Rosa Dress. The dress is cinched with a belt. She’s standing outside in front of a white wall.

A woman wearing the blue linen Santa Rosa Dress. She’s standing outside in front of a white wall.



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