Turkish Dancer Pattern Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I love this pattern! The 3 pieces are as follows:
The Jacket: very simple construction, easy even for a beginning seamstress. So far I've made 2 of these, one in upholstery fabric, one in drapery silk. Both are beautiful and the pattern lends itself easily to an evening jacket.
The Entari: again, simple construction and a good introduction to using darts for a beginner. I've done this 3x, twice in flowing fabrics, once in a cotton with more 'body'. Pattern is easy to cut and fit. Pinning all that bias tape for the hems isn't a lot of fun, but it does work. However, so does a narrow rolled hem, for those who do not want the headache of the tape, and I think it lends itself more to keeping the garment 'drapey'.
The Vest: this is the only piece that is Intermediate in difficulty. The princess seams, back and front, require easing/gathering or pleating the fabric, which may be challenging to beginners, but the instructions are very clearly written. I prefer making this lined as it gives the garment more body to support heavy trim. Lining requires hand-sewing the armholes but its worth the effort. I've made three of these, two in cotton, one in heavy velvet with a cotton back that is unlined.
Please note that Folkwear's 2X is a scant 16. However, resizing and customizing the pattern pieces is not hard with a bit of measuring. I resized all 3 pattern pieces to size 28W without any difficulty. I also recommend that one buy tracing paper and trace the pattern in the desired size rather than use the tissue---it's extremely fragile. As always, the historical notes for trim are fascinating.

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A beautiful three-piece ensemble based on 19th-century Ottoman Empire fashions, including flowing entari gown, fitted vest, and jacket. Easy-sew garments are perfect for wearable artists, costumers, belly dancers, and reenactors. Add elaborate embellishment with machine embroidery, braid trim application, and beadwork for a lavish look. Wear with #FW106 Turkish Coat and the Turkish pants from #FW119 Sarouelles for a complete and authentic look. Suggested fabrics: For the Entari, lightweight drapey silk, polyester, rayon for a gown; or medium-weight silk, linen, cotton, or wool for a coat. For the Jacket and Vest, all weights of silk, linen, velvet, cotton, wool, felt, denim, brocade, satin, suede, upholstery fabric.

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