One of my favorite all-time Seamwork patterns is Moneta. The now discontinued knit dress pattern came in three versions and had a gathered skirt with in-seam pockets. I LOVED that pattern and have made at least a half dozen Monetas. It was the perfect fit and flare knit pattern and I’m bummed that it’s no longer available for purchase. To fill the Moneta-sized hole in my heart, I made one of Seamwork’s newest knit patterns, the Luxsy dress. Luxsy is described as a knit fit and flare dress, but I found the flare to be very slight. To give Luxsy the best chance for success, I paired it with a yummy Minerva Core Range EcoVero Viscose Jersey stretch knit fabric in mustard. The resulting dress is fine – there are some elements I love and elements I hate – but it’s no Moneta. I might try to create a Frakendress by combining the two patterns together.
Before I dive into the pattern, let me gush over this fabric for a few minutes. The Minerva Core Range wins again! This EcoVero Viscose Jersey stretch knit fabric is silky smooth, has great stretch, and remains opaque when stretched. I chose the color mustard (which I affectionately call “My Honey Mustard”), but all the colors look lovely. The color remained rich after laundering and I haven’t experienced any of the annoying pilling that can happen with knit fabrics. It was easy to sew with a serged beautifully. Finishing seams isn’t necessary with this fabric, but I serged all the hems just because I wanted to. Normally I have to adjust my serger settings to avoid getting wavy seams when working with thicker fabric, but I didn’t have to bother with that for this medium weight jersey.
Okay, let’s talk about Luxsy by first discussing the positives. I really like the princess seams in the bodice and while I’m not wild about the lined bodice, I appreciate the option to make a sleeveless version of this dress. I also appreciate the attempt at a fit and flare. Personally, the flare was lacking for my body shape, but I find it more flattering than a body-skimming dress. Finally, because you can wear this dress with ¾ sleeves or sleeves, it’s a great piece for all seasons.
Now for the not so positive elements of this dress. There are no freaking pockets! Yes, I know that I can (and often do) add my own pockets to a pattern. It’s just really annoying to have to pull out my Moneta pocket pattern piece whenever I need to augment a seemingly completed pattern. Another issue for me is that because the bodice is lined and skirt isn’t, the dress feels a little top heavy and bulky. This could be fixed by just lining the whole thing. Oooo, if you line the whole dress, you could even make a reversible dress with a few tweaks! That would be cool. My last gripe, that I’ve already mentioned, is that the flare is a bit wimpy. I’d probably describe the fit as A-line instead of fit and flare. I was really looking forward to sewing up this pattern, but I don’t see myself sewing it again in its current form. Thankfully, I still have the printed pattern and the book of extra collar options for Moneta in my collection.
