Simplicity 1716: DIY printed jersey cowl neck dress version

Hi Friends,

It is so good to be back! We are still waiting for a landline to be installed, but we have a (rather slow) dongle connected to the PC so I can blog again. I totally could not cope with blogging on my ‘phone.

So, I turned 40 on Sunday. The silk that I was waiting for didn’t arrive (worse I fear it has gone missing in the post). I have contacted the eBay seller concerned and they are sending another shipment in the post BUT! they now only have a limited amount left, so I have to pray that 1. it actually arrives (or the first shipment miraculously turns up) and 2. it is enough to finish cutting the skirt panels.

The morale of this story is, if ordering from an overseas eBay seller, make sure you order enough fabric the first time around…

Anyway, I made this easy-to-wear-and-make jersey dress to wear on my actual birthday. We went out for lunch to a lovely pub/ restaurant in the Lake District.

This is a dress version of Simplicity 1716. It’s actually my third time working with this pattern. Here’s version 1 (this version was too big; I wore it to lounge about at home until it got holes in, then I had to get rid of it), and version 2 (worn this over and over; really should get some more jersey of this weight and make another version).

All I did this time around was cut the bodice pattern a couple of inches below the waist. I thought I wanted a blouson effect so the bodice would bag out and cover the elasticated waist, but I am actually not so sure about it. If I was making this again I would probably just cut it at the waist (allowing a seam allowance to join), and maybe make it a little bit wider at the waist. Personal fitting preference. The skirt is taken from my Miz Mozelle pattern.

FYI, most of the construction was done on the overlocker, but I sewed the darts/ made the casing etc on my sewing machine. I inserted the sleeves flat, which is standard practice for me on all knit garments. I stabilised the shoulders with clear elastic and the hems were overlocked, turned up once and finished with a twin needle. Despite this being a thin jersey, it is surprisingly warm, especially over tights and I am wearing a jersey slip under the dress in these photos.

I have so much more to share about the fabulous sewing gifts I received, but this slow internet connection is driving me crazy, so until soon (hopefully getting proper internet next week)…enjoy the rest of the week.