I love a knit dress, especially in this crowd favorite, 11 oz rayon jersey knit. Since it’s still cold, especially in the evenings, the long sleeves and ruched turtleneck are perfect for staying warm without sacrificing style. Below are my notes on both the fabric and pattern.
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This pattern comes together well and fairly quickly, especially if you choose to skip the topstitching.
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I prewashed the fabric on warm with a cold rinse and dried it on permanent press. In the future, I will hang it to dry.
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I made a full bust adjustment so the hem would hang evenly in both the front and back.
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I installed the invisible zipper before attaching the back to the front. I sewed the collar to the back for about 2 inches, installed the zipper, then sewed the shoulder seams and finished attaching the collar.
- I didn't tack the collar ruching in the front. The ruching is tight enough to adjust to your liking when you put on the dress.
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I chose not to include the thumb openings. Instead, I added a gathering stitch and ruched the sleeves, leaving them slightly long as a fashion detail.
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I turned the hem up 1 inch twice and topstitched to finish.
I would make it again for summer in the sleeveless version using Heather Dark Navy Rayon Jersey Knit with gold topstitching. I would also shorten the dress by about 2" so the proportions would work better with flat sandals. Which color from the 11 oz rayon jersey knits would you choose?
