Not much to say about this dress… It’s Lady Skater (sort of) and it’s floral (very!)
This fabric is one of the floral pontes that I ordered from Fashion Fabrics Club a little while back. I asked you folks if ponte would work for a Lady Skater, and you assured me it would… and of course, you were right! This fabric has nice stretch and recovery, but it’s pure poly and will pill and fade quickly. In the meantime though, I’ve got a bright and comfy dress!
(Look, you can see my breath in the picture on the far left!)
The straight up floral on it’s own is rather a lot, but luckily I have plenty of cardigans and scarves in my wardrobe in matching colours to break it up. In particular, I’m excited the dress goes with this turquoise and coral embroidered scarf that I got in either Hong Kong or Japan years back. I love the colours, but I haven’t known what to wear it with. Now I have the perfect outfit!
I tend to prefer straighter skirts in winter, but the Lady Skater skirt has been calling to me lately. As long as it’s well above the knee I don’t feel too frumpy!
You can probably tell that the Lady Skater bodice has been seriously shortened here. When I dug out the pattern I found the pieces I’d adjusted for this babydoll version last winter. I added an inch in length when I cut this one out, but next time I’ll add a little more, especially in front. Can you see below how the waistband is curving up in front? Gotta give the ladies more room!
Speaking of the waistband… uhhh, obviously, I added a waistband! In the end, I accidentally used the strips I had cut to be the neck binding instead of the slightly wider ones I had cut for the waistband… but whatever, it worked. The front is piped with black fold-over elastic to give some definition. I was running low on FOE, so I skipped it on the back. 
Anyone else have a Lady Skater planned this winter? I remember the pattern was everywhere last year… naturally, newer patterns have taken over a bit, but this one is such a comfy classic!
PS. Don’t forget, the Top 5 of 2014 lists are starting soon! Are you joining in?
Crafting A Rainbow 
Ah, this one is really beautiful, I love a floral dress! I just finished a Lady Skater I cut in February, ha! It´s so colorful, with birds and flowers, that I didn´t have the courage to wear it yet, but this is still one of my favorite pattern ever, I made several versions of it, and peplum tops as well, I also love those, they give me a much needed waist definition, ha!
LikeLike
Bird and flowers sounds like a gorgeous combo! And don’t let me forget, I owe you an email! 😉
LikeLike
That is so beautiful on you! 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks Andie!
LikeLike
Floral knit dresses are so great, you look cute and put together with not a lot of effort : ) I’ve never tried to add piping before so I can’t visualize how you did it, did you attach it to the waistband first or the bodice pieces? It’s such a great idea.
LikeLike
I attached it to the waistband first, since it was a nice straight seam (unlike the curved top of the skirt.) I did tutorial on using elastic to pipe knits a while ago – here ya go! https://craftingarainbow.wordpress.com/2014/03/18/flat-piping-knits-using-elastic/ It’s pretty forgiving though, so you could probably go about adding piping in lots of ways! 🙂
LikeLike
Lovely fabric and I love the piping detail
LikeLike
Thank you!!
LikeLike
I like the waistband you added. The Lady Skater pattern is one of my favorites. I’m planning to cut out two wintry ones for myself today.
LikeLike
DId you end up sewing your Lady Skaters? Hope they turned out well! 🙂
LikeLike
Cute! I like the contrast elastic at the waist. I’ve got fabric for a couple more lady skaters. Hopefully I will have time to make at least one over the holidays.
LikeLike
Nothing like a cosy knit dress for the holidays! Hope you have time to make a a few more!
LikeLike
Love this. The print is so bright and clearing and I like your FOE piping. Double win that it matches the scarf so perfectly.
LikeLike
Thanks, m’dear!
LikeLike
Really really pretty! And I like the look even more with all the layers. I love the look of a fun print with a cardigan and scarf!
LikeLike
Thanks hon! It’s a lot of print without the layers… So. Much. Floral!
LikeLike
Cute Gillian! The piping is a great detail that highlights your waist. I’ve never made a lady skater…. I know…. Shame on me!!! You look great in yours.
LikeLike
Hey, what did you decide to do with that red dress of yours? Did you leave the sleeves or change them?
LikeLike
This looks great! The floral is fantastic and I love the piped waistband. I’ve yet to make a lady skater. I have the pattern and it’s even all taped together I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. So many things to sew….
LikeLike
The beauty of a lady skater is that you could crank one out in less than 2 hours… frankly, probably in an hour! A nice palette cleanser between jeans, perhaps?
LikeLike
I love the floral print of this dress – perfect for darker, wintery days. And, yes – I’m planning my Top 5 post as we speak!
LikeLike
Yay! I’ll look forward to reading your Top 5 post!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, it looks lovely! Great print and it really goes very well with that beautiful scarf! 🙂 I like the slightly higher waistband (could be biased, since I do almost all my knit dess waistbands like this – I feel it makes me look taller 😉 and I think the skirt has just the right amount of width – though I also prefer slimmer skirt in winter.
No Lady Skaters in my wardrobe, but my go-to jersey dress pattern (traced/self-drafted and modified) is very similar.
LikeLike
I like a high waist too! One of many ways we are similar. Whenever I try to make something longer in the waist it ends up riding up anyway! 😛
LikeLike
It’s so fun and colorful. That scarf is pretty great too! Lovely job!
LikeLike
Thank you! I wore this to school the other day and it helped perk up an otherwise grey and long day!
LikeLike
Great dress. Cute fabric print. The piping works so well. I really like your scarf too.
It must be getting cold where you are if you can take photos of your breath!
I’m keen to join in on the Top 5 post series 🙂
LikeLike
I live in southern Ontario, in Canada. It’s a warm winter so far, but it’s definitely going to get snowier and colder from here! 😉
I’m glad you are joining in the Top 5 lists! 🙂
LikeLike
I love this! I ordered two rose printed ponte knits from Fabric.com right after you posted your photos and made a Lady Skater, too! Ponte Lady Skater dresses are perfect for Canadian winters, no?
LikeLike
Yes! Any dress that works with leggings is great in winter. (A a cardigan, and a scarf, because… winter!)
LikeLike
This is such a cute dress on you! 🙂
On a related note, I’m always so impressed with how you stick to your color palette when buying new fabric and coordinating with RTW pieces. I used your tutorial to create a palette for myself earlier this year, and I’ve been making a conscious effort to use it for fabric purchases. So far it’s been working really well! Recently I used it to buy a yard of voile to make a quick infinity scarf, and lo and behold, it matched with almost all of my tops! Thanks again for the inspiration and tools.
LikeLike
Aw, thank you! I’m glad your palette is working for you – I really think that if it doesn’t inspire you, it’s the wrong colours! Have you had to revise it at all, or are you happy with the colours you picked?
LikeLike
This turned out so cute!
LikeLike
Thanks hon! i’m glad I finally tried it on! ;P
LikeLike
Super cute! I recently bought this pattern– just need to find the mojo to tape it all together. 😛 Seeing your happy dress is definitely inspiring me! I love the waistband detail, too. Snazzy!
LikeLike