Crafting A Rainbow

Oh knits, how I’ve missed you! This summer is the first time I’ve sewn more wovens than knits, and it gave me such a thrill to finally sew a knit! Knits just lend themselves better to my fast and furious, devil-may-care style of sewing, I think.

This is the new Closet Core Pattern Elodie wrap dress, which I bought as soon as it released. The bodice reminds me a lot of the Zadie Jumpsuit bodice, partly because I’ve also sewn that with release pleats (instead of darts as drafted) and also made it in a knit!

Let’s talk about making this in a knit!

• If you’ve sewn a knit wrap dress before, you can convert this pretty easily. If you need to reply on instructions, then I wouldn’t suggest my slapdash method!
• I only had 3m of fabric, and it calls for 3.7m for this midi/short sleeve variation. I always start by cutting out the largest and most important pieces first, so in this case, I started with the skirt. Next I cut the bodice, partly on the cross grain… and at that point I was down to large scraps only. I pieced together the long ties, and decided to skip the facings and separate waistband.
• Skip the waistband?? Don’t worry, I can totally justify it. 1. I’m short, so skipping the waistband still leaves the seam perfectly at my waist. 2. My knit has vertical stretch, so I worried the heavy skirt would pull down the bodice and make it too long. 3. I reinforced the seam between bodice and skirt with elastic on the inside to serve the same stabilising purpose as the waistband would.

• I think knit facings could definitely work for this design, but personally I like something to snug the front wrap in place. I serged on a 1″ wide strip right-sides-together, folded it to the inside, and coverstitched it in place. I pulled the strip slightly as I sewed, and the result is a neckline that has stay in place all day!
• Pick your fabric wisely. I used an ITY knit, which means it has good stretch but also good recovery. Double-Brushed Poly is basically a brushed ITY, so it would be great too. I think the pattern would be fabulous in a Liverpool double knit, which would give more structure. A bamboo or rayon knit would be heavier, so you’ll need to really consider how you reinforce the waistline so that the skirt doesn’t pull it all out of shape. A ponte might work, but personally I hate the way ponte seams stretch out and go wavy.

I sewed a straight Size 16 in the curvy size range, which is drafted for a D cup and covers size 14-30. The size chart would put me in a 18 bodice and 20 skirt, but of course my fabric has stretch. I do think that even if you are sewing in a woven, you could size down if you want to look less “art-teacher chic” and more “Roman Holiday”.

I think the midi skirt is so elegantly drafted. There’s a slight high-low hem, but not so much that the back hem shows and looks tacky. There is a good hourglass effect, and the whole dress feels elegant but not fussy to me. If you scroll back to the second picture in this post, you can see that there is plenty of overlap at centre front, which is crucial!

In personal news, I got progressive lenses! I can finally see see near and far in focus at the same time, and it’s SO GOOD. This is my 6th prescription change in less than two years since my concussion, and as always, I’m hopeful this is the final adjustment.

Just for fun, shall we walk down memory lane and enjoy all the CCP patterns I’ve made in a stretch or knit fabric that was not recommended?

Stretch denim Pietra shorts, stretch twill Sashas, stretch denim Fiona, knit Amy jumpsuit, stretch Jenny pants, and stretch Jenny shorts! All the pants have elastic pull on waits, ’cause duh, comfort! Both the Fiona and the Amy were sewn as a pattern tester, so I feel like I have the official CCP seal of approval to break the rules.

Happy sewing to you all!