I believe that I made this dress right after this one, which I was so happy with. Knit dresses are great for summer and I don't have very many (I have plans to change that). But, not all knit dresses are created equal. This black and white one isn't nearly as nice as the brown and white one.
I picked up the fabric, a rayon jersey, when it was deeply discounted awhile back. But, the quality isn't that good. I won't be surprised if it doesn't make it past the end of the summer. I stabilized the neckline and armholes with strips of interfacing in an attempt to prevent them from stretching out. To avoid a ripply hem, I fused it in place with a lightweight interfacing before twin-needle stitching it.
I found the technical drawing on this pattern appealing. I thought the belt was caught in the midriff seam, but it isn't. It's just twisted a couple of times and caught in both side seams. I didn't want the dress to be tight, so the belt on my version doesn't stay in place - it droops down. I tacked it in place with some hand stitches and that's good enough. The print makes it hard to see what is actually going on, anyway.
The dress is lined to the waist. This is a good thing, particularly if you make one of the views without the belt. The lining covers up the holes made for the loop that holds the gathers together. To completely finish the neckline and armholes by machine, I followed Jessica's instructions at Green Apples. The instructions were excellent - I highly recommend this method if you haven't tried it before.
The instructions would have you put a zipper in the center back of this dress. I made sure to leave the waist seam stretchy and left the zipper out. I have no problem getting this over my head. Since I didn't need the seam for the zipper and it didn't have any shaping, I cut the CB pieces on the fold. The only other change I made was to raise the neckline in both the front and the back by about an inch.
In the end, this dress isn't my favorite, but I will wear it.
I found the technical drawing on this pattern appealing. I thought the belt was caught in the midriff seam, but it isn't. It's just twisted a couple of times and caught in both side seams. I didn't want the dress to be tight, so the belt on my version doesn't stay in place - it droops down. I tacked it in place with some hand stitches and that's good enough. The print makes it hard to see what is actually going on, anyway.
The dress is lined to the waist. This is a good thing, particularly if you make one of the views without the belt. The lining covers up the holes made for the loop that holds the gathers together. To completely finish the neckline and armholes by machine, I followed Jessica's instructions at Green Apples. The instructions were excellent - I highly recommend this method if you haven't tried it before.
The instructions would have you put a zipper in the center back of this dress. I made sure to leave the waist seam stretchy and left the zipper out. I have no problem getting this over my head. Since I didn't need the seam for the zipper and it didn't have any shaping, I cut the CB pieces on the fold. The only other change I made was to raise the neckline in both the front and the back by about an inch.
In the end, this dress isn't my favorite, but I will wear it.
Very pretty dress, thanks for all the construction details.
ReplyDeleteLovely dress! The fabric is so pretty:)
ReplyDeleteVery cute, summery dress!
ReplyDeleteThis may not be your favorite but it really does look very nice on you, and I like the print/color of the fabric. (I was shopping Saturday and tried a dress on that is very similar to yours.
ReplyDeleteI loved the look/fit but they didn't have my size..now I can make my own. I've added this pattern to me list :)
I have this pattern too. It's good to know how the twist is applied on the front. I think your version makes a lovely summer dress for sure!
ReplyDelete