I tried the All Well Box Top Wrap Dress Hack and here’s what I love about it and what I learned. Overall I LOVE it and feels like I’m wrapped up in a linen blanket. I definitely had Fall in mind when making this dress!
Fabric
I bought this fabric without a specific pattern in mind, but when All Well Workshop shared their box top wrap dress hack I knew I wanted to use this fabric to try it out! This gorgeous plaid yarn dyed linen is from Blackbird Fabrics and has a really soft feel to it which only gets softer with washing. I started with 2 meters but ended up having to purchase an extra meter to finish it because I wanted the skirt longer.
Pattern
You will need the all well box top pattern to make this dress and bonus points if you’ve made the ruffle dress version because the wrap dress construction is similar. I happened to already have the box top pattern and have made the top a couple of times already. It was one of the first patterns I tried when starting to sew my wardrobe! It’s a great pattern for beginners and there is almost endless hacking potential which they include in the pattern.
Fitting Notes
If I make this again I might adjust the bodice – it just sits a little strange and the weight of the skirt brings it down and feels like the shoulders will fall off, although I know it won’t. I’ve had issues with wrap dresses before not “wrapping” how I want them, so I had to do quite a bit of fiddling with the ties to make it lay how I wanted in the front.
I also ended up cutting about an inch out of the ends of the wrap on the bodice to match up right at the side seams. I extended the arm holes 2 inches and added sleeved cuffs but the arm holes ended up a little snug…so I probably should have widened them more before sewing!
Pattern Thoughts
The instructions were a helpful start but I’m still not 100% comfortable hacking patterns and still prefer more detailed directions. On their website, they do give a disclaimer that this hack is just guidelines and not full sewing instructions. So just keep that in mind before starting! Making a toile, or test version is helpful as well. And having extra fabric just in case is always a good idea – I have learned this the hard way so many times!
This dress is so comfortable to wear and the fabric gives me such warm cozy fall vibes. I hope these notes of my wrap dress sewing experience has been helpful to read and will inspire you to make your own! Thanks for reading and happy sewing!
