New Look 6802 A Sleeveless Dress for Hot Summer Days

I just finished hemming NL6802 this afternoon.

This is view C, the sleeveless version with the twist front:

The fabric is a rayon jersey print I ordered from Fabric.com last summer.  I bought it with this pattern in mind.  I wanted something with a vertical stripe effect (but not an actual stripe) and this was the closest thing I could find at the time.

When the fabric arrived, it wasn't exactly what I expected.  The scale was larger and the colors were brighter than I thought they would be.  So I held off making the dress and considered several other patterns.  I convinced myself this fabric wanted to be a maxi dress, and I even went so far as to lay it out this past weekend.  Unfortunately, I didn't have enough fabric.  Sigh...

So I decided to go back to plan A, and I dug this pattern out.  I'd already made it a few years ago, so the pattern pieces were already adjusted.  All I had to do was lay it out and cut.

Cutting was a bit of a hassle.  The motifs line up well vertically, but the fabric was printed crooked across the grain.  I had to choose between trying to square up the print or having a dress that hangs straight.  I decided to go for hanging straight.  I even gave up on trying to match the print at the sides or making the bodice pieces symmetrical.  I centered the print on the CF and CB, and just said the heck with the rest of it.  I think it turned out okay.  I love the way the motifs form a starburst effect at the twist.  I couldn't have planned that better.

And the back's not too shabby either.

I made a size 16.  I really should have gone down to a 14 through the bodice.  My dress is a little big on top.  I also raised the CF neckline 1 inch.  I really should have left it and gone down 1 size or just made a petite adjustment above the bust.  It doesn't help that my neckline turned out a little loose and floppy, even though I used clear elastic to stabilize it.  I think it's a combination of using the wrong size and my inexperience with the super stretchy rayon jersey.  I could take in the CF a tiny bit, but that would also raise the neckline even more and it's already bordering on dowdy.  I think I will wait until after I run the dress through the washer and dryer and see if that makes a difference.  I pre-washed the fabric, but the rayon may still shrink a bit...

I love this pattern.  It has an empire seam, but the back is cut in such a way that it clings and of course the twist overlay holds the front close to the body, eliminating much of the blousy effect that you sometimes get with an empire waist.  I've made this three times now, so I guess this pattern qualifies as a TNT.  I'll make it again, too, if the right fabric comes along.

Today is the first day of my summer vacation.  I hope to get a couple more things made before I have to go back to work.  I just pre-washed a piece of fabric that I was hoping to lay out tonight, but it looks like it didn't hold up well in the wash.  Oh, well.  I'm a wash-n-wear kind of girl and I'd rather find out now rather than after I've sewn up a whole garment and then tried to wash it.  

So back to the sewing room to look for something else to work on...