I discovered that the key to success for this dress was to pick good quality fabric or some type of fun fabric like some of my classmates did. I, however, decided to try to save money and purchased a cheap, meaning poor quality, interlock fabric on sale. (Honestly, I knew better but oh well.) Although the pattern draft was correct, the fabric did not do the dress any justice. The fabric has some weight to it so it pulls the dress down. The fabric just hangs. I can also tell that over time, this fabric will pill. I like the color though.
I was going to give the dress away but decided after all of the time and energy I put into it to try to save it.
I did not think the sleeves were flattering on me ….
…so I cut 3 inches off the sleeves and did not use the self-fabric band. I liked the dress much better with the shorter sleeve.
We were also taught different methods of sewing with knits. One of the methods was to stitch a seam using a sewing machine with a ball point or stretch needle. When sewing knits with a sewing machine, you should avoid using a small stitch; otherwise, you can end up with a wavy seam. I used a stitch length of 3.1. I then serged the edge with a 3-thread serger stitch. Always experiment with test swatches to see what stitches work best for your fabric. I also used the coverstitch for the hem.
I decided to keep the dress. It's good enough to wear around the house or to run errands. It's very comfortable. But….no more cheap fabrics for me!
Happy sewing!