One of the best things about working in the virtual world is that our team is made up of people from all over the globe. While some of us are getting started on our fall wardrobes, others are breaking out of winter and sewing for spring. Today we're showing off the Jocole Quick Dress and Skinny Pants, suitable for all seasons! Ari, Marnie, Lisa and Denita share how these versatile patterns are perfect for any weather.

Spring- Ari

Hey everyone! It’s Ari from Max California and I’m just want to show you how I made the Jocole Quick Dress and the Skinny Pants work for me for the incoming Spring here in Australia. I’m so excited for spring, this winter has been brutal! I normally don’t change things too drastically for the seasons, but spring definitely calls for bright colours and short sleeves, and the best thing to pair with brightness is black! I used some more of my favourite junk food fabric from Alexander Henry (be still my beating heart) as the bottom of the shirt, with some plain black for the top. I don’t really sew a lot for me, it takes longer and you have to sew longer seams and used more fabric and I’m super critical of the way things sit on my body (which you’d think would be a good reason to self sew?). I don’t do well with anything that accentuates my lack of waist and while baggy-ish things make anyone look bigger than they are, I really love the Quick Dress as a top! My mum uniform is usually leggings or jeans with a black top, but sometimes it’s just too much black so a little colour injection in this top is perfect! Plus it’s a really fun print!

I rolled the skinny jeans up a little because my sister has been doing it a lot and she looks so good haha. I really love the ankle-skimming capri length! I used stretch drill for this, since I like my pants to be well fitted to my legs and bottom. The rise in these pants with the waistband goes a lot higher than I expected, but they’re so comfortable and keep that soft, well-earned mummy-belly tucked away a little. I had to make a few adjustments in the size M that I sewed, just two centimeters up the outseam and an additional centimeter around the knees. Love the fit, I’ve been wearing them all day and they’re so comfy. Convenient too since all my pants are in the wash at the moment! I bought some crazy cute stretch denim with tiny little arrows printed on that I’m going to use to make another pair!

Summer- Marnie

Hi it’s Marnie from Horris and Deedle sharing my version of the Jocole Quick Dress. This pattern is so great for all seasons of the year - but I’m getting a headstart on my Summer sewing here and showing you and quick dress I made for our upcoming Summer.

It’s still Winter here and quite cool, but come September, the weather usually turns very very quickly, and by October we are generally into Summer clothing. This is the perfect dress for a sticky Sydney Summer - fast, easy and comfortable. And it pairs easily with cardigans for windy Spring days that are characteristic of September here as Spring blows Winter back to the other side of the globe.

I’ve used a lovely Rayon Challis for my dress, and have sewn the simplest version of the dress with no contrasts, or elastic casings, and the extended sleeve. This pattern has so many options, but I just wanted to make a simple dress to see how it sat on me before I go experimenting with the pattern. The possibilities are endless. And it’s perfect for rayon too, which is a fabric that I find very practical and comfortable in Summer.

I chose not to add any elastic to the dress, but instead ran the side seams in a full two inches to give me a bit more flexibility with how I wear it. This way I can pull it in with a belt and fancier shoes if I want a dressier look (It doesn’t happen very often), or I can leave it plain and pair it with a pair of flip flops (we actually call them thongs here, but we all know that means something a little different to Americans) for a casual comfortable look on a summers day. Perfect for popping on over a pair of swimmers (a swimsuit) and heading to the beach!

I’d love to see more versions of this dress to help inspire me with my next Jocole Quick Dress. If you have the pattern, why not pull it out and whip yourself up a cute little dress for whichever season of the year you are heading into! And if you don’t have it, you can pop on over to the Jocole website here to purchase.

Thanks for reading along,

Marnie

Fall- Lisa

Hi, Lisa here in Melbourne, Australia, sharing my Jocole Quick Dress and Skinny Pants creations for fall (autumn). We get a pretty wide range of temperatures and weather here in autumn, from the tail end of a very hot summer, into the start of cooler winter weather, so I have created two quite different options for the season with these patterns.

The first is my Quick Dress, which is extremely quick to sew - especially if you go with the extended sleeve option I've used here.

I’ve made this with quilting cotton, using the scoop neck option, and sized down to get a slightly closer fit. I’ve tried the shirring options with this pattern, but prefer the way it sits just as it is, worn like this with a belt.

I’ve worn this dress both for work and casual - with a cardigan or denim jacket on cooler days.. But my favourite way to wear it is to have some fun with fancy tights and high heeled boots!

Can you believe that the red and white striped top here is the same pattern? This is the Quick Dress made in knit, and cut slightly shorter than tunic length (along the lower shirring line), with the ¾ set-in sleeve option. This is a very stretchy, drapey, polyester blend knit - I made it two sizes down, and cut the lowest scoop neckline on the pattern. This fabric was not going to play nicely with binding, but I loved the raw edges, so i just finished the neckline and hems with a rolled hem. And I’m very proud of my stripe matching!

The Skinny Pants are made using a plain black cotton sateen which has some stretch in it, so I sized down and then took them in a little bit more to get just the right fit, which was well worth the effort. I also tapered them in another ½” from the knee down to get a closer fit around the lower leg and ankle, so they work equally well with heels, ballet flats, or tucked into boots for cooler weather. These are seriously the most comfortable pants ever!

Winter- Denita

Hi; it’s Denita from HattieLu Handmade. My challenge this week was to incorporate the Jocole Quick Dress and Skinnies into a wearable Winter wardrobe.

The funny thing about Winter in South Carolina is when it gets cold here; it gets cold here! Most of what I wear in the Winter is sweatshirt hoodies and sweat pants. When I’m not bundled up like a snow bunny, I layer clothing for a more polished look. I love the way denim looks for almost all occasions. Perfect for chasing little ones, casual date night, and more. The denim for the Skinnies is a quick way to dress up or dress down your look.

The Quick Dress is cut at the shirt length with ¾ sleeves and slightly size larger. I’ll add a turtleneck as it gets cooler and accentuate the waist with a dainty belt. The belt adds stylistically to the Quick Dress, but also pulls the shirt into the waist for added insulation.

My next project for the Quick Dress pattern is to use sweatshirt style fleece. Nothing like a sweatshirt and a latte to warm you up on a cold Winter morning!