In sorting through my sewing photos whilst preparing to write the review for this dress, I noticed my last several garments have all been grey.  So . . . this is the last grey garment I will sew for some time – on to some color!

My hands are in fists, not because I am upset, but because it was freezing outside.  Where’s that new coat I just made!?

When I put this on to show my husband the finished product, his comment was “wow, that one is really nice.”  Notice the emphasis on that one.  Hmmm, does he mean all the other pieces I’ve sewn were not nice?  Okay, Pam, quit reading more into it than what he said and accept the compliment!!!

IMHO, what makes this a winner is that collar. Other than that, this is just a basic, fitted dress. Which is not a bad thing. We all need some great classics in our wardrobe, wouldn’t you agree? I know this one will get lots of wear.  The pattern instructions were to add three hook and eye closures along the back of the collar where it comes together just above the zipper.  By doing that, it would have stood up all wonky in the back and it was too late for me to alter the collar since I did not make a muslin first (ahem).  That said, I actually prefer the way it turned out because I really like the way the collar comes to an inverted V in the back.  I simply added one eye and hook closure where the collar naturally falls to the V shape.  Here’s the back of the dress where you can see that collar V that I’m talking about:

And here is a close up of that back collar:

As you can probably see from these photos, the sleeves are just a bit snug.  Not so much that I can’t wear the dress, but more snug than I would prefer.  Since I did not make a muslin (ahem, again), I was not aware that I would need to add about 1/2″ circumference to those sleeves.  I would also extend the length about 1″ to help cover my muscular marshmallowy upper arms.  🙂  Other than that, I would not make any pattern alterations.  This dress fits like a glove, just as this style should.  I might make another one (with sleeve alterations) some time in the future as I do find this pattern very flattering and comfortable and as I mentioned before, the style is classic.

Oh, if anybody is interested, here is a picture of the dress without the belt:

There are so many sewing project ideas tossing around in my head right now that I am undecided what will be on my sewing table this week.  It will be a surprise to all of us.  If you are so inclined, please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you and see what you are sewing.

Pam

Have you enrolled for any classes at Craftsy yet?  If not, I do highly recommend them.  I’ve taken several classes including cooking and sewing/quilting.  Christine Haynes offers the Sassy Librarian Blouse via Craftsy and I wanted to sign up as soon as it became available several months ago.  Well, my patience paid off and the class went on sale last week for $19.99, so I quickly signed up.  It is definitely geared toward beginning sewers, so you may ask why I would be interested. I must admit, my interest was in the pattern not necessarily the class.  But Christine Haynes is a talented pattern designer and her instructional videos are very easy to follow.  I really enjoyed watching the videos and following along with my project.

I cut the size 8 and tapered to a 10 at the hips.  I ended up taking in an extra 5/8″ on each side seam.  I also sewed the vertical darts two inches higher than the pattern called for because I wanted to accent the waistline a bit more than what the original pattern allowed (it was a bit boxy on me).

The collar is difficul to see as it blends into the bodice fabric, but here is a close up:

And of course, I used my serger to finish the inside seams and front facing:

I really like the pattern.  It pays homage to one of my favorite TV wives – Laura Petrie.  I believe I will style my new top with leggings and ballet flats (ohhhhhhhh Rob!).  If you are a beginning sewer or you are simply interested in this pattern, I highly recommend the Craftsy course.  I would love to see your version if you are so inclined to share.  🙂