My New Favorite Dress

I fell for this this Missoni knit as soon as I saw it a few weeks ago at A Fabric Place during the Baltimore PatternReview Day event.  I don't know exactly what it's made of, possibly it's an acrylic and cotton blend.  It has a nice drape with minimal stretch and the colors are pretty terrific.


And the pattern is equally as teriffic... it's Vogue 8634.  It's swingy a-line with some pleating detail on the neckline.  I adore this dress design and it's actually appropriate for colder weather (if I accessorize and layer it better then I did in these photos.)  I think I could make this dress six times over in different fabrics and wear them all the time like it was my uniform.

It is such a great fit out of the envelope with zero alterations.  The fabric has nearly no stretch, the directions call for about 25% stretch, so I went up a size to a 16 from my usual Vogue size of 14.  Good call, Kathy!   

Wait, I did make one alteration... I got rid of the zipper in back and sewed up the seam instead.  I used my serger on this one, too.  Sergers are the best!  It took me under two hours to complete this garment from opening the envelope to hemming it up.  The only thing I will do different next time is add a couple inches length to the bodice.  It is a bit short for me (I'm 5'8" and these patterns are for someone who is under 5'6".)  I love the way the zigzag pattern ended up on the neck line with the pleats.