Make 9 #1 - Juniper Dress

A review by Annamarie Cripps, Social Media Coordinator @ Rick Rack Textiles

Kicking off the Make 9 series for 2026, with the Juniper Dress from Tiana Herring Patterns. 

I'm so happy with how this dress turned out! I had the idea to make this dress last August (omg) when we got the Sleepy Hollow canvas in store from Cloud 9. I loved the cat print specifically, as it reminded me of my childhood pet cat Shadow. The Sleepy Hollow collection has a retro vibe which I think suits the slight 70s style of a dress like this with the collar and zip detail. It was tough choosing between this print, Quint, and Drusilla. I ended up going with the Morticia print because I just love the brighter colours, and am at heart a Cat Person. We also just got in some gorgeous coloured 12 oz canvas that would also be a vibe if you're not a print person!

If you like the look of this drape and weight of the canvas, but not the theme- check out the Ocean Motion collection on the same base! I think the Coral print would be really stunning, and this nautical vibe is so summery.

Pattern details:
This dress is inspired by the Noble Utility Dress, and is available for purchase on Etsy. The pattern was drafted for a 5"5' height, and includes sizes A-U with a bust fitting a range from 70-30 inches and a waist range of 60-20 inches across the size chart.

I made size P.

The main feature of this dress, aside from the elastic waist/ cinch detailing, is the exposed zipper. Usually, style wise, I am very much in camp Anti Exposed Zipper. I feel like they are often used as a cop out or faster/cheaper alternative to invisible zips, especially when used as a back closure on skirts or dresses. Maybe this is the result of living through the 2009-2015 indie-sleaze/ twee period when they were everywhere on everything.

BUT, because of the utility vibe of this dress and the fact that it's a front zipper, it doesn't detract from the lines and is a nice feature! Rick Rack has these really sturdy deadstock zippers in (available in store only, sorry) and I think it really lends itself to a pattern like this. So maybe this will make me an exposed zip convert, under conditional styles. The chonk zipper adds another layer of whimsy and fun to this project which I'm always down for!

Pattern Adjustments:
I added 5 inches, 3 inches to the torso length and 2 inches to the hem.  This decision and my sizing choice were influenced by reading other pattern reviews on Threadloop. I'm really happy that I did some deeper diving on the sizing and fit for this before making it. My measurements had me around size M/N based on the size chart, but looking at the finished garment measurements I saw the pattern has a lot of ease so it was safe to size down as many folks mentioned in their reviews. So I ended up going down 2 sizes to make size P and I'm very comfortable with the fit!

When folding over the sleeves to create the cuff, I folded 1.5 inches each time instead of 2 as stated in the instructions, to keep the length a bit more proportional.

The pattern is designed to use a bias tape to finish the hem, to reduce bulk at the center front seam. I forwent this and did a traditional hem, folding over an inch twice which effectively negated the extra length added. It's not too short because of the length I added to the torso, but do keep this in mind if you'd prefer to finish the hem without bias tape or a facing as I did. 

There was also a note in one review I read about the collar construction and this not being the best for directional print fabrics. Because my print is directional, I decided to cut one collar piece upside down so it would then become facing the right side up when used as the inner piece of the collar. With how tiled the cats are and the floral print helping blend, I don't think it would have been a deal breaker if the collar did look a bit upside down, but if that is something that would annoy you- it's worth taking time when cutting out the pieces and getting some extra fabric just incase. You will note I did not pattern-match the front pieces either! 

A sensory note- this zipper doesn't have a guard behind it so the metal teeth can be cold on your skin if wearing it without an under layer. However- living in Calgary, layers are almost always a requirement, so I don't foresee this being a problem for myself. This dress would be perfect if you don't like tight clothing as the elastic channel can be made as loose/ tight as you like! I tried mine on after safety pinning the elastic through the waist channel as mentioned in the instructions to get an idea of the fit, and decided to bring it about 2 inches tighter just to hug my waist a bit more.

 Final Thoughts:

Overall, I really liked this project! It was so satisfying to see my vision come to life after all these months and I can picture myself wearing this dress a bunch. Once you get through the math for pattern adjustments, it's a straightforward sew and I like that there was a video to accompany the written instructions which helped with the zipper installation.

This dress can be customized in so many ways, by changing the waist channel height and angles, zip options, and hem lengths. You could hack it with patch pockets, or, it could be a great contender for a statement embroidery moment on the back. 

The size range is fantastic. While I am within the size range if I wished to purchase the Noble version of this dress, I would be in the upper end of their sizing instead of the middle as I am for the Juniper Dress. The Juniper dress goes 2 sizes smaller, and 6 sizes larger, making it truly inclusive for all. 

Being able to customize the fit is a huge part of why I sew, as it is for many. It's great to see independent designers really taking on the challenge of pattern drafting and doing the work to ensure inclusivity, when often so many big brand sewing companies don't. 

So the first Make 9 is done and dusted! I'm already scheming for the next project so stay tuned for the 2nd in this series. Thanks for reading!