Knit Pattern, Sewn Up and Ready To Wear!

Do you want to see my new dress?

Now that it's done, I'm pretty happy with it.

I veered from the written directions a bit...

(of course!)

I cut the bodice on a size 10, and did the large bust adjustment adding a dart to the shoulder. I just left  the dart open and gathered the extra fabric into the shoulder seam, (where there would already be gathering)

Since I'm (ahem) thick waisted, I decided to just cut the waist band on the largest size (14) and take it in on the sides as needed. This lead to repeated pinning and stitching. FUN! (heavy sarcasm here ladies)

I also had to shorten the "short" version dramatically to get the dress up to my knees.

The pattern calls for elastic to be inserted through the seam allowances of the shoulders, and both top and bottom allowances on the waist band. I used clear elastic and sewed it directly to the seam allowances.

I added clear elastic to the seam allowances on the necklines and omitted the ties in the back.

(how many times can I say allowances?)

Here's the final result:

The Good:

I have a perfectly fit bodice!

The armhole doesn't pull forward because of my girls and the shoulders aren't too wide. The bottom of the bodice fits snug like it should. I think the neckline elastic worked well - I wore the dress all day yesterday-the shoulders stayed put and the front didn't gap.

I felt so silly getting this picture - but look at my armhole. 

Yay me!

My friend Tamra helped me fit the bodice, so I know she'll appreciate the picture!

So I'm happy with the dress, but there's plenty of room for improvement.

I cut both the waist band and skirt fabric out way too large.

This meant lots of adjusting on the band, PITA but not a huge deal.

However, cutting the skirt so big meant way too much fabric gathered around my body.

So instead of skimming and flattering, it adds width and looks kinda frumpy.

I will make it again with some more tweaking. and pockets.