Hooray for UnFinished October, or I would never have revisited this dress. I originally started it for the Sew Weekly "Red, White, and Blue" Challenge in July, but it just never got finished. I lusted over the pattern forever (New Look 6000), but I eventually became so exhausted by the fabric that I had to call it a day. After trudging through the instructions and dealing with pattern placement for eight hours this weekend, the dress was FINALLY finished:
Holy cannoli, I'm so glad I spent so many hours on fabric placement, even if it did take forever. The main problem occurred when the fabric on the left panel was on grain, and I cut the right panel on the bias in order to make the center design. IT WAS A PAIN. There's a tiny bit of weird rippling as I struggled to match up the designs, but once I accepted that as an inevitable part of sewing this dress, I was fine with it.
Because I had to work with bias and on grain pieces, the hem was a disaster. I must have chopped off three inches, making this a very short cocktail dress instead of a work appropriate sheath. I can definitely wear this in the winter, though, because it's made out of upholstery fabric and is extremely heavy. It's lined with a white cotton sheet for a bit of protection against the upholstery fabric. I am a delicate flower, after all.
I am in love with the zipper and fabric placement. IN LOVE.
The collar on Version D calls for a button, but I decided not to put it on just yet. I'm afraid the button might distract from the obnoxiousness of the print ... and I am just in love with the print. I knew I had to buy this when I came across it in a thrift store in Missouri, and while I originally wanted it to be pants, I really love it as a dress.
The fabric does have some issues from sitting in one place too long. You can see a pale line stretching across part of the fabric, but I think it's well hidden by the edge of the white hounds tooth spots.
Overall, I love how the dress turned out and I'm glad I pushed through to completion. Would I make this pattern again? Definitely. It's a comfortable basic sheath dress that offers a unique collar option that I love ... and it's a great pattern for using up upholstery material :)
OK! One UFO down - at least eight more to go before I'll consider this month a success! No pressure there...
Have a great evening, all!