This dress combines two Deer and Doe patterns: the Giver tee/dress and the Zephyr skater dress.

At first I wanted to use the Ondée sweater for the bodice, because it has long sleeves, but I didn’t have enough fabric. I figured I’d make it sleeveless instead and use it as a layering piece.

One of my dirty secrets is that I have a few cropped little cardigans I can wear under my larger cardigans, for extra warmth.

Fabric

The Givre and Zephyr make a good combo, as long as the fabric has at least 50% stretch and a light to medium weight.

This blue fabric is a cotton knit I bought at Firecracker Fabrics. It’s soft with good drape, very twirly and fun.

Construction

Putting the patterns together was simple enough. I cropped the Givre bodice at the provided waist marks. Then I checked that the widths would match by walking the pattern pieces along the waist line.

Zephyr has no pockets. They completely spoil the sides of the skirt. Trust me, I’ve tried. The skirt has a lovely drape, though, and I feel it’s worth losing the pockets.

A note about finishing the sleeveless Givre: I add 1/4″ to the width and length of the neck and armbands. For me, the armbands and neck line were too tight as-is. Adding the width is to make attaching and topstitching them easier.

Verdict

I really, really love this dress! It’s super comfortable and makes me feel cute. I like wearing it with a cropped pull-over sweater or a big cardigan while it’s cold out. It’s a good year-round piece and a great addition to my wardrobe!

Thanks for reading <3