‘Nothing like having some crazy beautiful weather to push me to finally make my Out and About Dress. (Anyone else getting snow in April, then full sun and 70* the next day?) I’ve had this pattern since Black Friday when Sew Caroline had a great sale, but like most selfish sewing plans, this was pushed to the side. Once the weather warmed, I knew I needed to add some more pieces to my me-made wardrobe.
I chose Plumage Poppy knit by Art Gallery Fabrics which is just amazing. It’s bright, springy and just feels so soft and good too. Best part is I picked up this from my little quilt shop (LQS) Sew to Speak…on sale! Doesn’t that always make a project feel even better? 🙂
Garment sewing can be intimidating…especially with knits, so I want to show you how I finished my dress with a bunch of close-up shots.
I have a serger and it’s a god-send when it comes to knits. The knife cuts a nice even edge and the overlock stitch helps tie up everything so beautifully. There is a nice stretch which I chose to use here in the sleeves. This pic was taken before I tacked the cuffs into place to hide the seams.
For the bottom hem, I used a ballpoint double-needle for this professional look. This allows for a decent stretch but not as much as the serging. With this being a loose dress, I am not worried about the stretch in the skirt….I’d rather it just look good! Ha.
Around the neck, I serged the neckline onto the dress for a clean look on the hanger. But for that professional look, I added two top-stitch seams while tugging at the knit a little bit. A coverstitch machine would probably do the same but I don’t have one (It IS on my ultimate wishlist though.) The size of the head opening is large enough that I’m not concerned with having to really stretch it out, so the top-stitching works. It’s always good to test your stitches on a scrap piece to see how much stretch you need.
This was more simple sew than anticipated…even with the pockets! So, I know this won’t be my last Out and About Dress. It was true to size, but since I’m 5’3″ I took about 4″ off the hem to hit just above the knee. I may have to attempt a hack for a tank version. Let’s see how long it will take me to make one!
Have you made anything new for yourself lately?
Happy Stitching,
Cristy