Karen’s M7061 Hooded Sweater Dress!

This is the cosiest dress I’ve ever made!  As soon as it was finished, I was wearing it and I didn’t take it off for a good few days!  It is just perfect for this time of year, especially since it’s been blowing a gale for the majority of February. 

The pattern is M7061 which is very much a loungewear set pattern as it includes a few different options for tops along with some bottoms and a pair of slippers.  I have made this pattern once before using some fleece fabric and I really liked the shape, although it definitely looked like night-wear.

So, for my version this time I chose to make it in this gorgeous heavy fleece backed sweatshirt fabric which is so soft and snuggly and also has a generous amount of stretch in it. It was really nice to work with – it washed and sewed really well and my overlocker handled the bulk of the seams easily.  

Even though this fabric has more stretch compared to the fleece I used previously, I still made the same size, which was a size M and looking at the finished garment measurements, this is the right size for me. I essentially made up the same version I sewed up before, however, I made a small alteration to the hem so that it didn’t look like night-wear. I straightened out the sides of the hem so that it didn’t curve upwards and added a small bit of length so it came to just above my knees. I think this has made the dress more wearable on a day-to-day basis.

The one thing I love about this dress is the kangaroo pocket on the front as it gives the dress a little something extra, I think.  The dress also has a very generously sized hood, which is another feature that I like.

I have been wearing this dress with skin-coloured tights and trainers for a casual daytime look and it has been so comfy to wear – perfect for when I’m on the school run.

I will be making more of the versions included in the pattern and wouldn’t hesitate to use the same type of fabric.  I’m really glad I made this dress and love how it looks.  If you would like to see the dress in action, please head on over to my YouTube channel where I share it in my January 2022 Makes vlog.

Happy sewing 😊.