Don’t I already own this dress? Well… yes, the same pattern mash-up in a very similar print. And then there is this other very similar dress…Which I guess is why the fabric jumped out at me, and why it wanted to become this dress!
The top half is Maria Denmark’s Olivia Oversized Tee, and the bottom half is a Comino Cap skirt. My vision was to have a slightly fitted straight skirt with a big blousey bodice. In the end, I didn’t quite get that high-contrast look! Oh well. This sort of dress is the core of my work wardrobe, and I’m sure that it will get plenty of wear.
To save fabric, I put a seam in the back bodice. I wish I’d chosen to raise the neckline, but once my rotary blade started cutting, that decision was final! I did use the neckband to pull things in a little.
The fabric is a polyester double knit with a crepe finish. I like it because the inner face is silky, and it’s got good drape for a thick fabric. I’ve used this line of fabric before for my plaid shift dress last fall… and faced with nothing but black and white prints at the fabric store last week, I actually bought this exactly print in a blue and mustard colourway as well! Do you think anyone will notice?
Speaking of silky fabric… this dress makes a great layering piece with my Concord cardigan. Look how much better the sweater hangs over a poly knit instead of a rayon!
There isn’t much to say about a simple project like this! My other two recent projects (coming up soon and eventually) were new-to-me patterns, so it was nice to whip up something brainless as well!
I’m curious – What’s your day-to-day wardrobe? For work, I wear either a knit dress (knee-length or mid-thigh) with leggings or jeans with a jersey top and cardigan. How about you?
Crafting A Rainbow 
My day-to-day wardrobe is very relaxed. Generally I wear jeans and a knit top–sometimes me made, sometimes not–and a sweater, now that it’s cold-ish, though we’ve been having strangely warm weather for November. Right now I’m trying to get some color into my tops. Last year and into this summer I adored neutrals but now they feel so blah to me, so I’ve been trying to add in appropriate color and a few prints.
Question: is poly jersey warm? Does it feel warm to the touch, or is it cool?
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How interesting that your tastes have changed with colour! Why do you think that happened?
Poly knit is… both worm and cold. The thicker it is, the more airless it is inside, which can make for a bit of extra underarm sweat. When it’s thin like ITY, it’s cold to wear in winter. This fabric is right in the middle! I don’t mind the thin stuff in winter either, because I’m always wearing leggings underneath and a sweater on top. Hope that helps!
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I’m self employed and in a profession that is so “outside the box” as they say that truthfully I can wear anything I fancy 🙂 so day to day I just wear whatever appeals to my mood and that can range from silk to bamboo 🙂 I could comfortably live in a meat locker however so tend to avoid anything that is “poly”. Even when I’m buying a simple cotton I will avoid spandex and buy 100% and cut on the bias for a little more ease. Typically I wear tunics and leggings (I love that pattern Oh La Leggings by Papercuts!) and the tunics I make are either shortened dresses or lengthened tops 🙂
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Sounds like a great look you’ve got going! For some reason, I cannot figure out how to feel comfortable in a tunic. Short dress, sure, but tunics and I just don’t get along! Do you have any tips?
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What a glorious dress. It is a lovely shape and the colours are fab. Work wear for me can be anything from a suit/blouse/heels to Doc Martens, leather jeans and a boho top (today). The joys of working in a lab and only being customer-facing for meetings. 🙂 I do like jeans and a smart blouse with a cardi when it is cold but “smart” in my work for most people is a clean t-shirt. 🙂 Xx
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Are you the best dressed person in your lab? Sounds like you might be! 😉
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I’m schizophrenic when it comes to the daily wardrobe. I don’t like to be controlled – and when I have lots of thinking to do, I like to wear jeans (if dark ones, nicely styled with high-end top and jacket). But peeps in my new location are more formally dressed than that, any old time. So I’ve been wearing skirts and knit tops. I’ve actually had to buy a skirt and a couple of knit tops cuz sewing is not really happening right now. I also wear a couple of sack dresses and some pants with stretch.
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Hey mate, I’m sure you didn’t mean anything by it, but schizophrenia is a serious mental illness, not a personality descriptor. You wouldn’t say you’re paraplegic cos you like sitting down! May I humbly suggest a different choice of words next time 🙂
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Fair point Siobhan, though I’m very confident nothing ill was intended.
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This is definitely the season to buy the clothes you need! Plus, if you are shifting your style a bit, it’s nice to be able to buy pieces and try on lots of shapes instead of wasting your time making 5 muslins of a style you end up not liking!
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I can see why you bought more of that print, it’s fantastic! I’m at home most of the time so it can sometimes be hard to motivate myself to wear nice clothes. I’m usually on a rotating roster of skinny elastic waist pants + big tunics, or loose fitting dresses.
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My pregnant friend announced the other day how much she loves maternity jeans, and all I thought was “Girl, why weren’t you wearing comfy jeans before!?” I’m so happy that there are nice-looking styles widely available now!
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That’s interesting that she says that– I hate maternity jeans/pants! I don’t know if it’s my hips or what, but I just can’t seem to keep them from sagging, no matter what size the bump is. That being said, I did buy a pattern today for woven pants with a knit waistband, and am hoping it works well for me next fall. I ended up with literally two pairs of pants that fit(ish) by the time my closet purge was done, one of them was a pair of jeans, and girls with wool allergies cannot live with skirts alone in the winter!
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This dress will be comfortable and cheerful. It will be perfect for your school’s Remembrance Day program, too. I tend to dress up in my comfortable me made knits with skirts for work. I prefer to wear separates.
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I was thinking it was good for Remembrance day too! Perfect timing to finally get it finished – it sat as a WIP for two weeks, which is long for me!
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Holy fall colors! What beautiful pictures.
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At this point in the year I get sad that I”ll have to figure out indoor pictures soon… gotta take pics while the leaves shine! 😉
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It’s a bit like a flowery camo dress! Lovely print, smart to snap it up in two colourways! 🙂 And don’t I know about the mindless TNT sewing… I’m constantly buying fabric for Lola dresses…
I started a new job last week, now instead of wearing white pants and a polo shirt, I can wear regular clothing under a lab coat. Right now it’s mostly wooly tights and regular jersey dresses like yours. 🙂
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Love the whole outfit! Where did you get the fabric from (hoping it’s a store that ships to Australia)?
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Nice job. It looks fab.
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I mostly wear knee length knit dresses and card is or suit jackets. Or dress skirts and sweaters when it is cold. I recently made a ponte skirt that is super comfortable and looks great at work. Will be looking for more colours and maybe some wool ponte for more of that. For knit dresses I also like matte knit over shiny but find it harder to find. Abbey
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Great dress – and you even matched it to the autumn leaves behind you! My day-to-day, in winter at least is jeans and a cashmere jumper. So cosy, so comfy, sadly almost always RTW…!
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Seeing your photo of all 3 dresses on IG the other day made me smile– you definitely know what you like! My (nonpregnant) day to day wardrobe definitely alters with the seasons, so currently it would probably be either pants with a knit top and jacket/sweater, or some skirt outfit with leggings. At least on flute lesson days. For at home days, it’s usually jeans and a comfy top. My stay at home mom part of my wardrobe could definitely use a few additions!
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Great dress, great fabric!! You always find the best knits!
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