Winter Street Dress in the midst of a heat wave

I am still waiting on fall weather.

The temp today tops out at 94 degrees.

If I can't get the weather I desire, at least I got a great fit for this dress.

If you have followed my fitting journey over the last few years, you know I fight uneven, sloping shoulders that are forward rotated.  It is a wonderful recipe for wrinkles in a bodice.  

After lots of trial and error, I might have won the fit battle.

Pattern:

Winter Street Dress by Deepika from Pattern Review

Fabric:

Black and coral floral double knit from Fashion Fabrics.

Construction notes:

This is a quick dress to put together.  Like about two hours!

Added clear elastic in the shoulder and waistline.

Very proud of a perfect neckline on this baby!!!

Fit notes:

I have tried to keep the armseye of a pattern intact, but I am coming to realize that my shoulder joint isn't as big as the pattern companies think it is.  So, I took out about 1" in the front bodice height right in the armseye.  Don't have a panic attack!

Next, I did a forward rotation on the sleeve.  Center front is moved forward by an inch.  Lowered cap height by about 3/4" and wedged the pieces in the front and back to form the correct armseye lengths on the front and back.  

Doing a happy dance with the results!!!!

See the overlapped section.  I should follow the green dashed line.

Forward rotated shoulder.  You can see the difference in my sleeve and the pattern.

Forward rotated shoulder heaven!!!  It fits!!!!  I can move my arm!!!

The whole dress.  Winter Street Dress

The back.

Look at the bodice, NO WRINKLES.

It fits!!!!

So happy!

Summary:

This is a great little dress.  The skirt is very cute with pleats in the front and back.  I see more of these in my future.

Fall Moneta

Colette Moneta and Mood Fabrics

More "fall" sewing from Texas......where it is near 90s.  

Fall sewing in Texas is just more summer sewing in darker colors.  

Pattern:

Colette Patterns, 1028, Moneta, Version 1 & 3 combined. (Version 1 has a great collar.)  

This pattern had caught my attention, but I was "wow'ed" by the version on the cover of Threads a few months ago using a gorgeous floral knit.

Fabric:

Rayon paisley print jersey from Mood Fabrics in LA.

Construction:

The directions for this dress are very detailed and easy to follow.  I used my coverstitch machine for the skirt hem and sleeve hem.  

Fitting Details:

I adjusted for my wonky shoulder slope.

Used parts of the L for the front FBA and a M for the back.  

In my last few tops/dresses, I have not changed the armhole depth or curve.  Most pattern alteration books tell you to save that design element.  But "saving" that design element places the bottom of the armseye drooping to the bustline for me.  So, I measured the top of my shoulder to the armpit in vertical height, 5 inches.  Most of the armhole shapes I am seeing are in the 6-7" range and they are for knits.  Clearly, I have a small shoulder joint for such a big body.  Expect some pattern changes from me in the next few makes. Sagging armholes no more!!!!

Moneta Front View

Monte Side View

Skirt View

A great fall dress for Texas!!!!

Plum, Paisley, Panel Print Dress, Butterick B5815

Butterick B5815

Pattern

Butterick B5815, View C

Fabric

Plum, paisley, panel print, rayon knit from Mood Fabrics in LA.

Construction Notes:

I only changed the shoulder slope for my wonky shoulders.

Coverstitched the hem of the dress, sleeves, and neckline.

This pattern is super easy to put together and great to wear.  

I added a frilly slip under the dress to add some flair.

I love plum and panel prints, but panel prints are hard to incorporate into your sewing.  B5815 doesn't have darts or much shaping, making it perfect for panel prints.

Sleeve View

Back View

Fun with my photo editor.