After the success of the top and skirt, I decided it was time to tackle a dress. I’ve made a couple before, but they’ve never really turned out right…and this was no exception.
I used Simplicity 3835 again (the same as for the top), view A. What’s wrong with it?
Well, I laid out all my pieces and started to cut…and then realized that I’d mixed up two of the pieces. I was able to salvage the fabric and cut out the pieces, but the dress ended up a little short as a result (I want things to cover the back of my knees). It hasn’t been hemmed in that photo. The whole cutting out thing should’ve been a sign, maybe.
The sewing went…medium. The sleeves and body were fine, but my darts were a little off from one another and then there was the zipper. Oh, the zipper. The first side went fine, and then the second side didn’t really match. I ripped and resewed three or four times and finally managed to fudge it in, but….not so great.
And then there’s the collar. I should’ve realized it earlier, but it’s really tight. Like, chokey. (You can see if more here.) Sigh. And after all that work in gathering the neckline so it would fit.
I decided to give the dress another try, with my own modifications – a livelier print (Alexander Henry), no zipper, and the neckline from the top, which is just gathered with elastic. Much better. And from start to finish in 2 hours!
I cut the dress a wee bit longer, too (probably 1.5″) so that it would be the right length when hemmed. My darts were much improved, too. It’s a little shapeless, I suppose, but works well with a belt or a fairly structured over-layer (jacket). And of course, it’s super comfy, so that kind of outweighs some other concerns!
So that’s the dress. I think I might stick to skirts and tops for awhile – I find it pretty stressful to sew up a whole dress. But I do have other patterns to try, so I’m sure there’ll be another attempt at some point soon! I’m thinking something with a more structured bodice and flarey-er skirt. We’ll see.
Oh! And I almost forgot – the pattern for my skirt from the last post is Butterick B4136, view A.
Knitting updates will resume shortly!
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