My First Adult Dress !!!!

Well, as stated in my Sketching and Research post, my next project would be an adult dress. Well, here is the finished product!

In the Sketching and Research post, I was considering three methods by which to make the dress. These three methods were Combining a Skirt and Top to make a Dress, Designing a dress and creating my own original pattern, and Buy a Dress Pattern. The method that I chose to make the dress was method one, Combining a Skirt and Top to make a Dress. At first, I thought that it would be difficult and that I would mess up good fabric. However, I went tried it anyway. As the saying goes, nothing ventured- nothing gained. This venture turned out to be fruitful.

Fabric

The fabric that I chose isn't the most glamourous, however, I didn't want to mess up my favorite fabrics in an attempt to try a technique that I wasn't sure would work. I faced the stripes vertical because my shoulders are broad.

Design

The design is a combination of a top and skirt pattern from Simplicity's Khaliah Ali Collection pattern no. 4708. I bought this pattern at a local fabric store, Village Fabric. I combined top A and skirt D to create the dress by laying both pieces over the fabric with the top overlapping the skirt in just the right place. Pattern sizes are different from Ready to Wear sizes. Once I finished my dress, I found would like to have had a little more room in the dress. This is where knowing your measurements and adjusting your pattern to fit your measurements is a must. I will definitely do that with my next dress.

Afterthoughts

I love the style of the dress. It could have been roomier. Yes, I am sticking with I could have made it roomier,LOL. I made markings in the areas that I will adjust the pattern from now on. This dress was really, really simple to make. The Simplicity's It's So Easy: It's Simplicity pattern no. W2688 kicked my butt. However, it was worth it, because I learned how to gather, create at skirt and a bodice, create and attach sleeve bindings and facings, and I learned how to attach a zipper. Simplicity's Khaliah Ali Collection pattern no. 4708 was a breeze. My next adult outfit will come from this same pattern!