A review of the Forsythe dress by French Navy

It has been a while since I have written up a pattern review on here.  But I particularly enjoyed one of my recent makes and so I wanted to share it with you. 

It’s the Forsythe dress by French Navy Patterns. French Navy is a small independent pattern company that I have been following on Instagram for a while.  I really like their whole aesthetic.  The patterns have a relaxed stylish vibe with clean lines and some lovely details.

The first French Navy pattern I made was the Stellan tee. It’s a free pattern! A relaxed boxy t-shirt pattern for knit fabrics.  I’ve made two versions, one in a cat print cotton jersey and the other in a leopard print viscose crepe jersey (photos included below).  I get a lot of wear out of both of them.

So moving on to the Forsythe dress.  French Navy describes the Forsythe dress as a relaxed fit dress with hip yoke pockets, a slightly dropped waistline and a gathered skirt.  It has short sleeves with a narrow cuff, which can be turned up or left unfolded.  It has a panelled bodice, which gives great options for colour blocking or playing with directional fabrics/stripes.  There is a button back closure too as an extra lovely detail.

I was looking for a pattern that would work with some navy ikat cotton fabric which had been in my stash for a few months.  I had purchased this fabric as part of a larger order from Itokri.  When I bought the fabric I knew I would make a dress with it, but I didn’t have a specific pattern in mind.  Then I was browsing Instagram for inspiration and saw the Forsythe dress.  I was sold.

Sizing

The Forsythe pattern comes in UK sizes 6-18.  My measurements are 32-26-36. According to the pattern this would put my bust at size 6 and my waist and hips at size 8.  However I opted to make a size 6 with no grading, as the Forsythe dress is designed to be boxy and the finished garment measurements for the size 6 looked like they should give me plenty of room at the waist and hips. 

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Construction

I really enjoyed following the French Navy pattern instructions.  The pattern booklet included lots of real-life photos of steps, which I found really helpful.  The instructions are broken down into lots of small steps so it was quite satisfying to complete each one.  The instructions were also nice and clear, no head scratching needed!

French Navy describes the pattern as suitable for advanced beginners and I would agree.  There are a few slightly fiddly bits in the construction, such as the bias binding and button placket.  But overall the steps make the whole construction straightforward and easy to follow. 

French Navy recommends light to medium weight fabrics with an element of drape for this dress, such as challis, chambray, cotton shirting, lightweight linen blends, viscose or viscose blends.  If you are fairly new to sewing I would suggest for your first try of this pattern you choose a more stable option like chambray or cotton shirting and avoid more drapey, slippery fabrics like viscose.

The cotton ikat I used was really nice to sew with but it did fray a lot, so I French seamed my dress and I also bias bound the waist seam in order to give a long-lasting finish.  As I used French seams throughout, I didn’t need my overlocker at all.  I sewed the dress all on my Pfaff Ambition 1.0 sewing machine.

For a finishing touch I added mustard coloured buttons to the back bodice.  I really like how this adds interest to the finished dress.

Styling

With its boxy shape, the Forsythe dress is perfect for layering. lt’s Winter here in the UK at the moment so I will be wearing my dress with long-sleeved tops underneath for warmth.  In the photos, I am wearing it with a Freya top by Tilly and the Buttons in cotton jersey.

I also think I will get a lot of wear out of the dress in Spring/Summer, wearing it with my favourite tan Saltwater sandals or a pair of plimsolls.

Summary

The Forsythe dress is a relaxed and stylish day dress with some lovely details. It can be worn all year round depending on how you style it. It was a really enjoyable sewing project and would be perfect for a confident beginner who is looking to up their skills. I feel really comfortable in my version, it feels very me and I will definitely be making another version of this fab pattern.

I also talk a bit more about the Forsythe dress in my YouTube vlog.