This piece of fabric has been sitting in my stash since last winter. I picked it up on a whim one shopping trip because it was just sooooo snuggly. It's not your standard fleece, but something much softer and just so snuggly - microfibre fleece? Its basically pajama fabric, but I didn't want to waste this on pajamas, I wanted to try and use it in some way that it could be worn out of the house.
At the time of purchase I didn't know what I was going to so with it, then yesterday inspiration hit. I wanted to make one of those cosy looking fall dresses that I see around so often - you know the type you would wear with leggings and long boots. Can you just imagine getting up on a cold fall morning and throwing on this pajama worthy dress and being all snuggly and warm. Well I can now because that's exactly what I did this morning.
So I had a picture in my head of what I wanted - I was thinking simple knit dress with long sleeves and a cowl neck, and miracle of miracles, going through my pattern stash, I found the perfect pattern. Simplicity 1716.
This is one of the patterns that I picked up at a garage sale last winter at $3 for a box of patterns.
So the only problem - as usual - was what size to cut. I decided to make it easy on myself and cut the entire thing out at the maximum size 20 and then took it in from there. I sewed most of the seams with about a 1" seam allowance, the back fit pretty well doing that but I had to make a number of adjustments to the cowl at the front, cutting it down to a size 12/14 across the shoulders. The sides seams had to be taken in quite a bit. Once I had the fit to what I wanted I trimmed all the seam allowances off to 3/8 inch and then took the entire thing apart (I'd just sewn it with basting stitches). I compared the newly cut pieces with the pattern and found that the sleeves were down to about a 12, the shoulders to a 12/14, the arm scythes around a 12 as well, and the side seams graded from a 12 under the arm to the original 20 at the hem. I'd be tempted to cut the entire thing at a 12 if I were to make it again - although only with another fabric that has as much stretch as this one.
I did pretty well matching the plaids horizontally, though there are a few issues with the vertical matching especially down center back. Still who's going to care except me.
My one and only issue with this dress is that it has a tendency to slip backwards off my shoulders. I'm not entirely sure what I can do about that - I was hoping that the stay tape at the back neckline would take care of it, but it didn't.
I'm not sure if I'm going to keep this dress as is, or if I need to re-cut the front some how - I've found that when I wear it I find myself re adjusting it time and time again which I really hate....but it's just so snuggly and warm I can't help wearing it anyway.
Its lovely - your plaid matching is beautiful. I know that cowls sometimes have a piece of tape that will go from a point in the armhole to the corresponding and this will keep it from slipping. Another solution would be to front bodice line with a fitted bodice piece which would allow the dress to sit exact - or you could go with the solution of putting those little fasteners in the shoulder seams which fasten onto your bra straps....eitherway its a lovely dress and looks fantastic on you
ReplyDeleteThis is a great dress. It looks good on you. Sorry about the readjusting--that would be annoying. I have a fleece dress, too, and I absolutely love it. It's perfect for winter coziness.
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