"Happy Red October / Red Ribbon Week " is what this dress says to me :) This is the Lady Skater dress by KitchsyCoo made in a red ponte roma knit. This is a perfect staple dress for an autumn / winter wardrobe, and it fills a giant void of red clothes in my closet! (Seriously, the only red garment I had before this was this dress, and of course Buckeye gear!) It goes great with all neutrals, and especially my awesome floral leggings (good thing, b/c not much else does ;)




A couple thoughts on the process. For some reason, I had a hard time putting this pdf pattern together - many pages didn't seem to quite match up, but that may just have been a user error. There is no guide for matching up pages (like little diamonds, stars, or cats), so I guess you are supposed to do it by the garment lines (which are color coded - cool!)

I cut a size 4, which I was afraid might be a little small as I measured a half inch bigger than the given measurements for that size, but the next size up seemed too big, so I chanced it. I think it turned out okay (thank you stretch!) but I might go juuuust a bit bigger next time - fudge the seam allowances, you know.

This thick ponte knit fabric was a dream to sew, as it is quite stable and presses well. However, don't go above the wool setting for this! My first neckband got scorched :(




Here are the specs:

Pattern: KitschyCoo Lady Skater Dress

Size: 4

My Shape: Tall (5'11"), pear shape (hips and legs galore!), narrow shoulders, long torso

Fabric: 2 yards of Sew Classics Ponte Roma Knit - Joann Fabrics - "Biking Red"

Size Alterations:

- Added more flare and length (maybe 2-3") to the skirt

Design Changes:

- Lengthened 3/4 sleeve to midway between 3/4 line and full length line - it is perfect! (Finished w/ narrow hem instead of sleeve band - didn't want the extra bulk)

Construction Notes:

- Used both zigzag stitch and serger
- Finished neckline with neck band, but not in the same way as directions day - I found them too confusing and went with my tried and true method:
(1) Stitch shoulder seams
(2) Stitch short ends of neckband, right sides together
(3) Fold and press neckband in half lengthways, wrong sides together
(4) Match neckband seam with center back seam (I actually had one b/c I had to cut my back pieces separately) and evenly space around neckband
(5) Stitch neckband to neckline, turn/press, clip curves, topstitch around neckline to secure seam allowance
- Sewed sleeves on with the same method as last time! (I wonder if I could attach the skirt first and go all the way from the sleeve edge to the hem in one long stitch - WHAT?!)
- Did not (yet) hem, but hey! Looks alright to me!
- Oh, and I did not include elastic on the shoulders or waist - OOPS! Didn't have any and I was in a hurry ;)


The Verdict:

Awesome dress! Very comfortable and flattering (with the help of some control-top tights... TOO MANY COOKIES!). I will definitely be making this again, in more solids and prints. Great cold-weather dress in a heavier knit! And, sadly no, I did not make my jacket - it was a super sale find at Anthropologie that I just couldn't resist! I do, however, have plans for copying another Anthro jacket :) What can I say, I love being warm (which might explain the lack of blogging round these parts - it snowed here last week! - I've got a Reglisse, Anna, and Hemlock to show you all!)