My Sinclair Betty/ Dakota Mash Up!

The Betty Dress was the first Sinclair Pattern I EVER tried. I had always heard great things, so when I saw the tester call for this dress, I excitedly applied. That was about a year ago I guess! It's hard to believe!

Did you know that, for some reason, the one I made for testing was the only Betty Dress I've ever made, until recently! It was not, however the only Sinclair Pattern I've made, by far!

**Disclosure: I have included my affiliate links to the patterns used in this post. If you choose to purchase using my link, I'll receive a small commission of the sale at no additional cost to you!**

I had intended to make another, but wanted to change the skirt up a bit. I LOVE the look of the original skirt that comes with the pattern, but it felt less practical for everyday wear with toddlers. My Betty became a favorite dress for church when I wasn't constantly chasing little kiddos. 😉 So when I decided to sew this Betty, I immediately remembered my Dakota and how much I loved it, so I decided to use the Dakota Skirt with the Betty Bodice! I love it!

Sewing the Dress:

I cut out all of my pieces, and constructed the bodice according to the Betty Dress Tutorial. Then I constructed the skirt according to the Dakota Dress tutorial. I gathered the skirt with elastic. I do feel like my elastic was a tiny bit to long. I may have not remembered to "exercise" the elastic before cutting. I love using elastic for gathers, because it makes it easier for me to get even gathers!

The tie-belt. I used the length of a tie belt that came with a different dress. I decided to cut two pieces that were 43" long and sew them together. So my finished tie belt was somewhere around 85" long once I stitched and lost seam allowance. My waist measurement is 28". This seems really long, however I can tie it in two ways. I can either wrap it around my waist once and tie it with a long, pretty bow, or wrap it twice and have a shorter bow. I chose to wrap it twice for these photos!

Wearing the Dress:

The dress has a high crossover neckline, and how you wear it is up to you! I took pictures of it crossed over higher and lower. I think it's still modest and very flattering either way! With using the skirt of the Dakota, there is no risk of the skirt flapping open when chasing toddlers or playing in the floor with them. This is the perfect dress for playing with little kiddos, but still looks dressy enough for just about any occasion!

Crossed over higher

Crossed a bit lower

The Fabric:

The fabric I used for this dress was from Amelia Lane Designs! It's just a solid red double brushed poly fabric. It's very soft. On the dress I made the first time, I used a poly spandex fabric that was a bit more structured (it was similar to liverpool). I actually think that I prefer a bit more structure for the bodice of this pattern, but that part is definitely personal preference! I also found the pleats on the bodice a little easier to keep in place on the more structured fabric as well.

So... How Would You Make It?

I've seen this dress made so many times and in so many ways! It's super versatile! I've seen people mash the skirt with a different bodice. I've seen people use the bodice with a half or full circle skirt. I've seen the bodice used with various other types of skirt, and then of course... there's the original pattern which is beautiful all by itself! 😉 So many ways to sew the dress, and all of them are super flattering!

Check out my link to Sinclair Patterns site: https://sinclairpatterns.com/?tm=hinze.laura89

My link to the Betty Dress: https://sinclairpatterns.com/product/betty-faux-wrap-knit-dress-pdf-sewing-pattern/?tm=hinze.laura89

My link to the Dakota Dress: https://sinclairpatterns.com/product/dakota-knit-tunic-or-dress-with-a-peplum-and-a-placket-pdf-sewing-pattern/?tm=hinze.laura89

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