Butterick 4914- Disco Camouflage

This week's finished project is Butterick 4914:
This is a knit dress with pleated, wrapped bodice, ruched midriff band, and a flared skirt. I used the 3/4 sleeves. Sadly, this pattern is now OOP, but it is still available on the Butterick website if you don't have it in your stash.

It's also very similar to Simplicity 3775 if you happen to have that one instead.

I used an ITY knit recently purchased from Fabric.com. The print kind of reminds me of camouflage, and the silhouette of the dress is kind of disco, hence the title of the post. The fabric is very stretchy along the width and a little on the thin side, but the print is wild enough to mask any lumps and bumps. It sewed up easily enough using a stretch needle. My only complaint is that it smells. I prewashed, and I didn't notice anything until I used an iron on it (on a very low setting, this is poly after all.) But the fabric has a definite chemical smell to it- very similar to a strong hair dye or perm solution. I hope another trip through the washer will take care of it, otherwise, I have a problem.

I cut a straight size 16. I could have used a 14, or maybe even a 12 for this, but the 16 was the smallest size in my envelope, and I wouldn't have known I could go smaller until this one was finished anyway. The shoulders are rather wide and the bodice is very, ahem, "open" for my taste. I did use clear elastic on the bodice edge, but I could have cut it shorter to try and snug it up some more.

I basted the side seams after setting in the sleeves. The dress hung on me. I ended up taking the side seams up an inch on both sides from underarm to hem, for a total of four inches. I took the sleeves in probably an inch, which I never have to do. I'm not sure if the pattern ran large, or if the fabric just had so much stretch that I had to overcompensate.

The midriff has to be snug to keep the ruching from sagging. I'm happy with the finished fit- it's form fitting, but not tight at all.

I matched my nail color to the print:

I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Rasberry Race, one of the new colors that came out this spring. I love the color, but the insta-dri formula is kind of a pain to work with. By the time I got my second hand half way done, the polish was getting thick and globby and difficult to apply. But it covered in one coat and dried fast, so I guess I shouldn't complain.

But back to the dress.

I love it, but my husband hates it. He thinks it's too form fitting and the bodice is too low. I think it's nothing a safety pin or a cami couldn't take care of.

I love the print, but I think I'm going to tuck it away in the closet and bring it out again in the fall. I noticed while taking photos that the fabric is very hot and doesn't breathe well. It would probably be okay for my office, but getting there and getting home would be a hot, sweaty trip. And maybe by fall, my husband will come around and decide he likes it after all.

In other sewing news, I have a dress I made for the Princess to share, and I cut out two new projects last night- another knit dress and a simple summer shift. Stay tuned for updates!