Yep, I finished my first dress for 2014! I fell in love with this black, grey and white knit fabric on a recent shopping trip to District Fabrics, and it seemed just perfect for McCall’s 5974. I have had this pattern in my stash for a while, and thought it had some cute design lines that were a little different than my TNT knit dress, Simplicity 3775 (OOP).
Well, I think the fabric saves the dress. I like it, but I don’t LOVE it. It is comfy to wear, and of course, is in my most-often-worn color palette, so I know it will come up in the rotation frequently.
The problem is that it has that slight maternity-dress vibe. It is less noticeable with the wrap ties, for sure, but there is still of whiff of impending birth about it.
Or maybe it is the ties in the back that make it seem a little more juvenile than I want. I’m not sure. Like I said, I do LIKE it, but I haven’t totally warmed up to it yet. Maybe after a few more wearings…
And the construction directions. Can you say STOO-pid? I paid no attention to them, and used knit construction techniques that made sense for the fabric and design. Specifically:
- eliminated the back zipper
- set the sleeves in flat before stitching up the side seams
- lined the entire dress, but that was due to my slightly sheer fabric
- serged the entire dress
- sandwiched the front bodice between the midriff layers
- eliminated the midriff interfacing
- applied 1/4″ clear elastic around the entire neckline to help hold the neckline against the body more securely
The dress does go with Toby’s attire, although he doesn’t seem that enthusiastic about the dress either. The best part is I finished a dress in the first week of January!
Happy sewing!
Maris