Beautiful Liberty Dress and Gilet for Spring & Summer

Carolyn from the studio has been busy stitching up something gorgeous with the new Floral Muse fabric from Liberty’s Spring/Summer 2025 Retold Collection. She chose the Liberty Natasha dress pattern for its classic style and added a few tweaks to make it her own. And, because one beautiful piece wasn’t enough, she even whipped up a matching quilted gilet using the leftover fabric! Read on to hear more about Carolyn’s process..

“When I first set eyes on the new Spring/Summer 2025 Collection, Retold, I instantly fell in love with the Floral Muse fabric. The hand drawn flowers just took my breath away and really caught my attention, as I am an avid gardener and artist and love all flowers and fauna.”

“I decided that the Liberty Natasha dress pattern would be a perfect match to showcase the beauty of this print. I made a size 14 view B, with the frilled 3/4 sleeve. I lowered the neckline by and inch, as I prefer a lower neckline, and I also added a thin spaghetti waist tie at the sides, to nip in the waist a little, so I could add a bit more shape to the dress if required. I lengthened the dress by a couple of inches as I like a little more length and added an inch to the bodice as I have a low waist. I didn’t add the pockets. I LOVE this pattern, as it is so versatile and a dream to make.”

“I used four metres of fabric, as this is a directional print, and I did have to be careful where I placed the sunflowers on the bodice! After making the dress, I just could not bear to cover the beautiful design with a cardigan if it’s chilly, and I had enough fabric to make a matching quilted gilet. I did not have a pattern, so used the top of the dress pattern as a template, adding 2 inches to the sides and shoulders and binding the edge with a navy bias binding, which I felt really complemented the colours in the fabric. As I am into recycling fabrics, I used an old lightweight quilted throw as the lining, as this meant I didn’t have to source any extra fabric. I then just used straight lines to quilt the gilet. I used a tie closure, but you could also use a hook and eye or a brooch clasp for a different look.”

“The dress can easily be lined, but I did not do this, so I made a slip from plain cotton lawn to wear under it. I have made a few versions of this dress, so it is getting a lot of wear!”

“I trace out my patterns and do all the adjustments on white paper or card, giving me a pattern that I can prep, cut and get sewing in a few hours, as I get too excited to start sewing. So this is a perfect option for me.”

“This dress will be used to celebrate my 45th wedding anniversary this year and I just know that I will get lots of opportunities to re wear it. This is my first Liberty dress make and it will not be my last, as I am now hooked on the way the fabric sews, drapes, feels to the touch and the designs are timeless. My next project will be a shirt for my husband, only there are so many beautiful designs, I am having trouble choosing just one print as I love them all!”

“I hope this inspires you to treat yourselves to a gorgeous Liberty print and enjoy the experience of creating a beautiful outfit.
With love,
Carolyn x x”