How to sew a Loulou-Marla dress?

Here's Loulou/Marla, the dress you can sew in different lengths and with different sleeves. Marla with a romantic puffed sleeve, closed by a long buttoned cuff, or Loulou with butterfly sleeves. Its wallet fastening with ties allows it to be adjusted to her waist size, although we've hidden an elastic band in the back for added comfort. It also has hidden pockets in the side seams and a skirt that's just a little full to give movement with every step.

For this reason, we recommend choosing a fluid fabric to avoid puffy sleeves and unsightly pleats on the skirt. We've chosen a viscose poplin, but for something a little more fancy, you could opt for a light velvet, jacquard, cupro or why not a sequinned fabric for a festive result? If you choose a patterned fabric, don't make the same mistake as we did, and check that your fabric has a rotating pattern, as this will enable you to place pieces head to tail and limit consumption. 

For supplies, you'll need bias binding to finish the neckline. You have two options. You can choose a ready-made bias (they're usually 20mm wide), which you'll then need to stitch straddling the edge of the neckline before laying it down towards the wrong side of the fabric. As a second option, allow an extra 50cm of fabric and make an infinite bias. You can easily find tutorials on the Internet, or if you're a subscriber, you'll find explanations here. It's all about starting with a square of fabric to make several meters of bias. To help you, we recommend investing in a bias toolYou can find them in different widths to vary the finish. The result will be much more delicate.

This dress is not particularly difficult, even if the long-sleeved Marla version takes a little longer to make than the Loulou version. The bias binding will be the most tedious part, but the result is well worth the effort. If you want to be able to adapt this model to all seasons, don't hesitate to play with the length of the skirt, in a short version (above the knee) or in an almost midi length. 

To sew Loulou-Marla, you'll need :
-3m30 of fabric in 140cm width for the long version, or 40cm less for the short version,
-5mm elastic the equivalent of your 1/2 waist + 2cm,
-3m of 20mm wide bias tape,
a little iron-on for Marla's cuffs,
6 buttons 8-12mm diameter for Marla.

Visit the video tutorial on Youtube herethe pattern in individual purchase here or take the opportunity to subscribe to the Lemonade Couture Club.