*sponsored post with gifted fabrics from Style Maker Fabrics*

I was approached a while ago by Style Maker Fabrics to participate in their fall style blog tour. This means I got to preview their fall fabric offerings and sew something up to showcase it. Y’all know I’m a planner and always sewing a season before the fabric shops catch up. 😉

By the time I got around to choosing my fabric, my first choice was taken, which is how I ended up with this brushstroke print in terracotta. My original plan was to use it for an Orchid midi but when I got it, I knew that it wasn’t quite the right pattern. I hemmed and hawed for a while before deciding on the River Dress pattern.

Since this fabric is a bit out of my comfort zone in terms of the colour and print, I decided it best to go with a simple style that I know I like. I don’t like to try too many new things at once lest I don’t quite feel like myself in the final garment. I also knew that this pattern works well for many types of fabric so it’s almost always a sure bet.

This fabric is a rayon/nylon slub which makes it interesting to work with. It’s a bit crinkly, so I pressed the whole length of it before cutting out my pieces to ensure nothing ended up crooked. Because there’s nylon in it, you need to iron on a lower setting. It took me a bit to figure out why I couldn’t run the iron smoothly over the fabric and thought there was something on my iron that was sticky. Nope! I just forgot the bit of nylon content!

This fabric is quite light and gauzy. I’m not sure I’d recommend this fabric for a dress unless you line it (I made a slip out of some Bemberg lining also gifted by Style Maker). It is, however, fantastic as a top – especially if you live in a warm climate and need to stay cool while also embracing fall colour vibes.

In general, I’m quite pleased with this dress. It will be perfect for occasions like Meet the Teacher night and Parent Teacher interviews. What I will always love about the River dress is its flexibility. I love that you can wear it belted or not, and choose a crew- or v-neck. And it’s the perfect pattern to show off a pretty fabric!