Last year I bought a knit-fix grab bag from Girl Charlee for the first time, and I haven’t bought another one because I still haven’t made my way through it! Inside there were 6 separate cuts of knit fabric, about 2 yards each, and I thought I would blow through it fast, but instead I have been very patient and thoughtful about using the designs. All were prints that I probably would never have bought on my own, but so far they have been made into wonderful projects and gifts (there was one cut of fabric in the bag that was a little too 70’s-inspired for my liking but it ended up being perfect to use for bra and panty muslins when I went through a bra- making obsession a few months ago).
Anyways, included in my fix was this giant, blocky, slightly stiff black and white jersey knit. I immediately liked the fabric but felt clueless as to what I would make from it. Now fast forward many many months to the day in April when I woke up in the morning and thought to myself, I HAVE TO MAKE A SALLIE DRESS. IMMEDIATELY. Does that ever happen to you? No idea where the inspiration came from or why, but once the idea entered my head, it was all I could think about. I quickly finished up whatever project I had been working on at the time and assembled my materials for Sallie. The black and white jersey print was one of my last full cuts from the knit fix, and despite my worries of looking like the McDonald’s Hamburlgar, I decided it would have to do. I have made this pattern several times in many incarnations, and it is indeed a favorite, but I had never made the dress with this specific version of the bodice on the skirt before, so this dress felt new and exciting. I whipped it up in a day’s time, and was able to hem the dress using the coverstitch machine I had just gotten for my birthday (once I figured out how to release the thread from the machine, it was-and IS- such a joy to use!)
I opted out of the pockets for this dress to make sure that the skirt didn’t get too bulky around the hips, and I originally I hemmed the dress to about mid-shin length, but after wearing it a few times I have since shortened it to the length of most of my other dresses, which is just above the knee. Tea length cut skirts and dresses have a tendency to cut my calves at their widest points, which I personally don’t find very flattering on myself (although I have noticed that if the mid-shin length skirt is very wide/has a lot of body, it balances out my legs a bit more).
As with my other Sallies, I serged all my seams except for a couple around the neckline and armholes of the bodice, and it was constructed very quickly. I think that the stiffness of this striped fabric works surprisingly well with the slim fit of the dress, and it doesn’t tug or bunch at odd places when I wear it and easily keeps it’s shape. It’s cool and breezy in hot weather and the bodice, which is fully lined, offers just enough coverage to not have to wear a bra with it, which I think would interfere with the simple lines at the back.
Love this pattern, and love this unexpected bold print in my closet hanging right next to my Oona pantsuit 😉
(thanks, Claire J Savage for the gorgeous photos!)
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