Fall sewing – black dress

I almost changed my mind about this dress when Carolyn posted pictures of her awesome black and purple dress. Totally derailed my plans for a day until I came to my senses and went back to my original plan for a plain black dress. (Please excuse the puffy tired look – I’ve had a very stressful, sleepless week.)

Pattern details
I started with the frankenpattern I’d used for the short-sleeved T-shirt dress back in July. Because I am now sewing for fall and winter, I lengthened the sleeves to full length. I wanted the dress to come to the top of the knee so I added an inch and a half to the length while I was cutting the fabric. The last change was the neckline – the width at the shoulder seam and depth are the same but I scooped out the curve a little more. I think I like the less scoopy version better.

Fabric and construction notes
I used black Sophia knit, same as for the short-sleeved version. I just love how easy it is to sew this fabric. Instead of my usual zig-zag finish, I used Myrna’s technique for the hems, only I didn’t serge the bottom edge. I remembered the interfacing part and the twin needle, but not the serging bit. It’s ok, this fabric doesn’t ravel. I like this technique very much because it’s easy and results in a nice and stretchy hem. I will definitely use it in future projects. In fact, had I known about this hemming technique years ago, I could have saved a lot of money by not buying the coverstitch machine (which is now waiting for a trip to the dealer to fix her timing).

There is a bit of extra length above the waist. It’s hard to see in the pictures, and just as hard in the mirror. I pinned it out yesterday and it is a ½” across the back. It continues across the side seam to the bust apex so I will just deepen the bust dart by that amount. I’m not worried about it in this project, mainly because this dress is meant to be a skirt with an attached undershirt, to be worn with a cardigan. But just so you see what I’m talking about, look at the following pictures. It’s more visible in the belted picture on the right, where the extra length in the back just buckles. You’d think it’s more than a half inch, wouldn’t you?

I like the front both belted and unbelted and don’t really have a preference. In the back view, the belt seems to emphasize my butt. It won’t make a difference under a cardigan, I just thought it was interesting and something to ponder while planning dresses that will be worn on their own.

Conclusion
Another great T-shirt dress. I really don’t know why I had thought they weren’t for me. Easy to sew, easy to wear, a great supporting player. Now it just needs a lime green cardigan.