Saturday, September 14, 2013

Aloha and New Look 6184 dress in knit fabric

Aloha from paradise. Let's jump ahead, shall we? By that I mean posting an item out of order. My self imposed order. I almost always blog things in the sequence I sew them, thus imposing a bit of order on myself and discipline to finish things and then blog. That helps me to complete something, stay motivated to take photos and then onward to the next thing. However I have a few longer posts in the works. My denim jacket (final version) and a Marfy pattern so here is a something else entirely.

NL6184 knit dress front
The fabric is a rayon knit in a slighly tie-dye-ish pattern of turquoise and white. My favorite color combo and oh so soft. I bought 1 and 1/8 yards at Stone Mountain in Berkeley intending to make a t-shirt or some type of top but every time I looked at it I thought "easy breezy summer dress" so that is what I did. 

NL6184 knit dress back

I used New Look 6184 for the neckline and and bodice but I left out the back waist darts, added about 1 inch at the side seam waist on the front and also created a square neckline in the back (which I see could have been maybe another inch or two deeper.  For the skirt I just cut two squares that added up to about 4 inches larger than my hip measure and gathered the top of the skirt into the waist of the bodice pieces. I think I also lengthened the bodice about 1 inch front and back as I wanted it to be a tiny bit blousey at the waist, kind of Saltspring-y, if you have seen the new pattern from Sewaholic. It is funny that came out as I have two vintage patterns from the 70's I had been contemplating making this summer and never got around to them, both with that waist blousing that is so nice to wear and flattering if the proportions are right. 

Dress front close up. I really like this pleated front neckline and have been searching for just the right version for a while.  You can see the color is nice and saturated, the light in the outdoor photos washed out the color of the dress slightly. (Hard to compete with that nice tropical background :)

NL6184 knit dress close up front
Ever since I made a few Vogue designer patterns specifically made for knit fabrics that were fully lined I really like the effect and feeling a full lining creates so this one is also fully lined. Which also gave me the opportunity to have the clean finish around the neckline and armholes. No zipper, not needed. A reader asked recently about what lining I use in these knit dresses. In the dancewear section at my local Joann fabrics (where the fabrics for making costumes, skating and gymnastics wear, swimwear etc) there are some knit fabrics in neutral colors which are used for linings in those items and work very well for any knit dress. I just feel the weight and slippy-ness of the lining fabric, to me that is the key factor, if the lining will glide against the outer fabric and not be catching as you move or walk. 
I also added tiny belt loops at the side and with the remaining shreds of fabric made a narrow fabric tie belt to pull in the waist as the dress is cut rather straight and needs something to create the waist and blousing. 
Here is the pattern, I used the Version D which is the square cut neckline. 

NL6184 pattern envelope

OK time to hit the beach for a tough day of swimming and novel reading :) and a Mai Tai calling my name later.  
Happy September sewing, Beth

p.s. did anyone notice I cut my hair? heading toward long hair is just not for me! I gave it a good year but that was enough. Oh, I am so happy now! 

19 comments:

  1. It is a beautiful dress, and looks so comfortable on you.

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  2. Certainly looks like paradise, and a lovely dress to wear while there. Pretty color!

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  3. Your dress is lovely and looks good on you. Re swimsuit lining, I would think it would be a bit warm.

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  4. I'm totally impressed that you got a dress out of 1 1/8 yards!!!
    Ok, you look like you're at the Hilton Waikiki Beach.... :)
    Enjoy it!!! Aaaaa-lo-ha!!!

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    1. HI Kyle, thanks. with 60" wide fabric a dress can be done with 1 yard :).
      And not at a hotel in the photo, out my back door.
      stopped at Kaimuki for fabric but only bought one thing - the restraint I showed!
      Aloha.

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  5. I love your dress.The colours are o fresh and pretty! The tropical setting ain't bad either!!!!

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  6. A cute dress! And, wow, do I want to jump into that inviting pool.

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  7. Great dress! I really live the fabric too! Enjoy your vacation!

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  8. A very nice holiday dress and what a nice resort-y location. I'll join you for that mai tai, anon :)

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  9. Such a pretty, feminine, happy, sunny dress!

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  10. Aloha! Love the dress -- perfect for an island vacation. I also like the full lining and the clean finish it gives. And I do like your hair short! Have a wonderful vacation!

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  11. That tuquoise (that´s the colour I can never pronounce right!) looks very good on you. I like turquoise and white combination, very summery and light! And I love the pattern you chose for it.

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  12. Beautiful! The dress, the hair, the backdrop... That's such a great dress for a vacation!

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  13. Such a perfect colour combination for a tropical frock, and oh-so flattering on you! I love the idea of the lining you've used for this - I can see how it would add so much to the silhoette and wearing comfort, so I'll have to remember that if I ever sew up any lightweight knit dresses. And I love your hair shorter than longer - very fresh and vibrant - it looks fabulous in these photos!

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  14. Aloha you lucky thing! Your dress is perfect for a Hawaiian vacation and those are your colors!

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  15. What a lovely summer dress for an equally lovely backdrop.

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  16. I love how you look relaxed yet effortlessly chic.

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  17. I love how you look relaxed yet effortlessly chic.

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