Vogue 1315 - a review and lesson in pattern placement

I just finished sewing Vogue 1315 - an adorable pullover knit dress, sewn in a fabulous ITY Cache knit from Fabric Mart Fabrics.

The pattern is a Rebecca Taylor design that is very simple to sew, with a few fun details, like pleated pockets.

So I'm wondering...have you ever painstakingly laid out your pattern pieces --- matching the front and back along the shoulder seams, making sure both sleeves feature the same pattern and the top and bottom portions match at the waist seam --- only to discover an "oops" moment when you tried on the garment? 

Yea, me too. 

When I cut this dress out I was so careful to match everything that I didn't quite think where the dark stripes would land.  I had a good chuckle when I saw the photos and realized what I had done. Those faux "suspenders" were not intended to be one of the design details of the dress.

Oh well.  Live and learn. 

Let me tell you more about the dress details.

The round neckline is finished with a double raw-edge binding. One binding is just slightly winder than the other. 

The top and bottom are sewn together at the waist.  That seam is sewn to the skirt portion to create the casing for the elastic. The pockets are cut in the skirt and created by making a small pleat and sewing a dart.

I did make two little alterations to the pattern.

First of all I did a teeny-tiny full bust adjustment (FBA). 

Heads up on the length! This dress is short. 

I added 6" to the length.  I simply cut the skirt along the lengthen/shorten line, added the additional length, taped the paper in place and trued the cutting lines.

The dress ends just at my knee rather than mid-thigh. After all, I plan to wear the dress to work. An entire animal print dress is probably already pushing the limit in my semi-conservative work environment.

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