Knit Dress in Black and White Stripes

I came across this lovely black and white stripe ponti on my first and only visit to The Remnant Warehouse in Sydney, way back in March. I have purchased from their online shop many times, so it was wonderful to visit the store in person and see and touch the fabrics. The staff are very friendly and helpful too. I just wish I could have spent more time there, but I had a very bored husband with me, so my visit was limited. The fabric blend is 72% Polyester, 23% Viscose and 5% Spandex.

I have been noticing lots of striped dresses in the shops so I assume they must be popular at the moment. I used the Tilly and the Buttons Coco Dress pattern as a base for my dress. This pattern is a firm favourite of mine, if you didn't already know.

I did quite a few design alterations to achieve the look I was after. The flare of the skirt was significantly reduced at the side seams to create a straighter shape.

The scoop neckline was borrowed from Sewaholic's Renfrew top (another favourite pattern).

Originally the neckband was cut with the stripes running in the opposite direction, but it was a disaster. Because the fabric didn't have quite as much stretch in that direction, it made the neckline gather up and not lie flat. I contemplated unpicking the overlocking stitches for a moment, but I then came up with a much easier fix. I simply trimmed the whole neckband and seam allowance off and started again. The neckband was re cut along the direction of the stripes and I carefully positioned it so that the neckband would show a centred black stripe. I then reattached it using a much smaller seam allowance, so as not to increase the size of the neckline too much. 

Although it is difficult to see in the photo, I added two fisheye darts to the back to provide a little shaping. The neckband and hems were all top stitched with a twin needle.

The stripe matching during the construction of this dress was quite fiddly. It involved pinning every black stripe very carefully, then basting the seam, checking for accuracy, unpicking parts and re basting, and then finally sewing the seam. I was using a walking foot too. I am a bit over sewing with stripes and can't wait for a nice easy plain fabric to sew.

These photos were taken last week in Dad and Elizabeth's garden during our visit to Wollongong. I'm loving all the spring flowers. Just wish this last blast of winter weather would go away, so I can enjoy wearing my new spring dress.


Happy Sewing

A Tragic End

I am deeply saddened to inform you of the tragic demise of my Colette Beignet Skirt. We have had a love hate relationship since construction, however we were on good terms just before the accident. Here's some memories to cling onto:

In her infancy, soon after construction.

Performing well during Me Made May 14

After her makeover...a new lease of life

And then tragedy struck...and it's all my fault. I decided to wash my skirt in the washing machine. I used cold water and special wool wash detergent but sadly this is the result:

Skirt after washing

I am shocked at how much this skirt has shrunk. You can see how far the lining is hanging below the hem of the skirt.

I prewashed this fabric (unknown fibre content) before construction to avoid a shrinkage problem. When I washed it the first time after construction it shrunk, which I blogged about in my original post, and I fixed the problem by turning up the hem lining again. I didn't think it would continue to shrink with each wash, especially not at this alarming rate.

Close up of the accident.

I am particularly upset by this tragic event because I have only recently invested quite a bit of time and effort into this skirt, replacing all the buttons. I think I will salvage the buttons and dispose of the remains in the rubbish bin. At least I have some photos to keep the memories alive.

Has anyone else had a shrinking tragedy?

Happy Sewing