Pattern Review: Fen Dress by Fancy Tiger Crafts

The Fen Dress pattern was released a year or so ago and for some reason did not grab our attention much at the time. But suffice to say it's grown on us, a LOT, and we now rate it as an absolute winner!

Fancy Tiger Crafts is a fabric and yarn shop in Denver, USA. They have released a small range of patterns and we've just stocked the Fen, Sailor Top and Adventure Tank.
I made the Fen dress in a washed linen (sold out but lots more linens here). It works beautifully in linen, and we can also imagine this versatile dress made up in a woven wool for winter, a breezy seersucker for summer or a light denim or chambray for year-round wear.

To test the fit I made a quick muslin of the bodice in size 12, which most closely matched my measurements. The fit (such as it is, in a loose-fit pattern) was great and the only adjustment I made was to narrow the neckline, curving it in about 2cm on the front and back pattern pieces. It really is quite a wide neckline and I didn't want to have bra strap issues.

The other change I made to the pattern was to make a neck facing instead of binding with bias. This was a personal choice - I'm fond of stitched down neck facings at the moment - and I also thought it would help stabilise the wide neckline in this soft linen. I had admired a large scooped stitched-down facing on the back of a RTW garment recently and made one similar. It gives a neat finish when the garment is on a hanger, which I guess is a RTW requirement, but I also like the look of it on the outside back.

I added a small strip of fusible interfacing just at the seamline on the neck facing, and also on the inside edge of the pocket openings, to prevent stretching.

Things I love about the Fen dress:
- oh so comfy, and great for bicycling
- pocket perfection
- bodice darts front and back make this shapely-casual, not baggy-sack
- slight high-low hemline sits right where I want it (for reference I am 5ft3"/163cm)
- layer-ability, I can see myself wearing this year-round
- easy-fit and easy-sew, truly beginner-friendly
- good instructions
- as others have noted, the skirt gathers are placed so they don't puff out over the hips
- this would work in so many different fabrics! Fiona and I are walking around the shop at the moment saying 'I could Fen the heck out of that!'

There are just two things I would caution about with this pattern:
- the round neckline, as drafted, is very wide. Easy to alter though, and I recommend you make a bodice muslin to check this for personal preference as well as general fit.
- the fabric requirements stated on the pattern are on the generous side. I managed to eke this Fen out of 1.75m of 140cm wide linen - BUT I did have to narrow the back skirt a couple of cms (not a problem with the gathers) and I made a neck facing instead of using bias. The stated fabric requirements would have had me cut 2.7 metres - almost a whole metre more! If I had not cut the skirt pieces side by side (which I did to save on fabric and help me match the plaid across the side seams), I would have needed about 2.2m. So be aware of requirements if you have pattern matching to do, or if you need the width for larger sizes. But use a bit of common sense and you can probably get away with less fabric than stated.

There are many variations you can choose with the Fen, including a shirttail hem (may account for extra fabric needs), a long sleeve, v-neckline and a lovely simple top. Personally I'm currently blinded by my love for this dress version and can't see past that but never say never....

PATTERN: Fancy Tiger Crafts Fen - view B dress
FABRIC: Washed linen, 175cm x 140cm wide (see notes above)
SIZE: 12
ADJUSTMENTS: narrowed neckline, made neck facing
COMMENTS: Can I wear this every single day?

- Jane & Fiona xx