When I first saw this dress from Mimi G. Style for Simplicity 8334, I knew I was going to make it. It's such an easy style dress that can be elevated or downplayed depending on the shoes.

My fabric is a navy and red Saint James striped ponte knit. Unfortunately, mine is sold out. But here are the other Saint James ponte knits that Mood Fabrics has in stock.

I cut the size 14. I was pleasantly surprised at how long this dress is drafted. It's a midi length and it was perfect right out of the envelope.  If you're shorter than me, take all of this into consideration.

I didn't have to make a single fit alteration. Normally, I would make a FBA, but since I knew I would be leaving the front unbuttoned, I bypassed that.

I did however, add interfacing to reinforce the front opening. Just something I do when a fabric has stretch and has this particular type of treatment.

For the contrasting left placket, I used a red cotton fabric from my stash and Dritz Heavy Duty Snaps.

Here is a closeup of the armhole bands. BTW, if you need sleeve bands or neck bands for bomber jackets, this fabric is amazeballs! I'm a fan!

I always use my walking foot to ensure the fabric does not slide so that the seams will match.

I love the snaps on the side. They're both decorative and functional.

I love this dress. I rarely have a desire to make multiples of any pattern. But when I do, you know I love it. Just as soon as I find the perfect black knit, I'll be making the other version with the sleeve in solid black. I think it will be the perfect throw-on-and-go dress to wear with a pair of boots.

This is out-of-print Vogue 1158, by Tracy Reese. It's a really cute summer dress that I've had since it was released 6 years ago. For years, I've pulled this dress out with the intention of making it and I always ended up putting it back. The problem was that I never found fabric that I loved that would truly compliment the design and also, devoting time in the summer for such a detailed garment. It looks pretty simple from the picture, but there's a lot going on there. 

First thing first, I had to find the right fabric. During the last days of Hancock Fabrics, I ran across this stripe cotton/linen blend. I instantly liked the earthtone palette and I knew it would challenge my sewing prowess to match these unbalanced stripes on the bias.

I cut the size 14. Like I said previously, I bought this pattern years ago. So today, I could've cut a size 12, so it started out a little big in the bodice. But I still needed to add an inch of length.

I also added 2 inches to the skirt's length.

The first part I laid out was the skirt. The skirt was pretty tricky because of the unbalanced stripes and that it's cut on the bias.  If you're new at matching stripes, I would suggest starting out with balanced stripes (stripes that repeat in the same order in each direction). And unbalanced stripes do not.

Matching stripes at the seam can often be frustrating. It's not difficult, but it is something that you need to think about -- especially before you buy and cut into your fabric. Whenever you have to print-match, I highly recommend buying extra yardage (1/2 yard extra should be enough) so that you can easily match the prints at the seams. And always, always cut each pattern piece on a single layer.

For this particular design where the skirt is cut on the bias, the objective is to create mitered stripes at each seam.  This is done by cutting the pattern pieces in mirror image panels. I did this by finding a matching point -- a point in the print where I will use to cut each piece.  I used the grainline marking on the pattern piece to align it. As with any pattern when your are cutting the pieces on a single layer, cut the first piece right side up and the second piece right side down.

I made the same marking on the back pattern skirt piece so that the stripes would match even at the side seams.  As much as you may want to, you can't cheat with this -- especially if your stripes are unbalanced (and the same goes for asymmetrical plaids). Just take your time and the design will be worth it! And major tip: Use your walking foot to prevent the fabric from shifting while sewing.

The bodice is both pleated front and back. And so are the lining pieces. Oh... did I mention that this dress is fully lined? See... big time involved. I used a very lightweight white muslin fabric. Okay, back to the bodice... The bodice front and back is sewn to the the bodice lining pieces. And even though it's lined, all of the seams are French seamed. If anywhere on this garment you'd want to cheat, I would suggest skipping the French seamed bodice. I feel those seams could easily have been been pinked and pressed open. They will NEVER be seen... like ever! The neckline and the armholes are finished with bias cut binding.

And one of the cool aspects of this dress is the armhole insets. When you first sew this, the armholes look suspiciously low. Like scandalously, boob-peekingly low. So this is a great style-saving detail.

Here is the bias bound back.

The dress also has covered shoulder pads made from cotton batting. And an invisible side zipper.

The full lining.

Here are the narrow hems...

And the French tack.

The dress has an attached belt.

It too is bias bound.

Now that the dress is made, looking back I think I would probably leave the belt off. I'd like to keep my options open for different belts.

For a casual summer dress, this was a lot of work. But it was like sewing course in high-end dressmaking. And I really did enjoy the process.

And this one will be a summer favorite!

While I was browsing the designer spring/summer collections online, I discovered these fabulous stripe dresses from Dolce and Gabbana.

source: Net-A-Porter.com

I loved all of the elements of the dresses and the striped fabric and I decided that I could make this look work for my everyday life.  And I knew the perfect pattern I would use to execute my look.

I picked Butterick 6351 and found this fabulous Italian Multicolor Striped Cotton-Lycra Sateen fabric from Mood Fabric.com because crisp stripes are the perfect way to add drama to a summer wardrobe.

I cut the size 14 in the C cup. I added an inch to the length of the bodice for both front and back.  I also pivoted the horizontal underarm dart around to a vertical waist dart. There was nothing wrong with the fit of the bodice. I changed it simply for aesthetics. I wanted my stripes to match as closely as possible at all seams.

So I felt that dart move worked out best for me. I tweaked the fit somewhat. I typically cut slightly larger and just make nips and tucks wherever needed. I took in the sides a bit to refine the bodice fit.

For the skirt, I cut the same size and added an inch to the length.  As you see this time, I strategically placed the stripes vertically. Such a slimming effect.

I added the band to the skirt and flipped it back to horizontal.  And the dress has an elastic waistband in the back of the skirt.

The stripes were pretty simple to match because it is a large enough scale pattern.

The dress is partially lined at the bodice. I used a white cotton batiste from my stash. The dress has a side invisible zipper. 

The only thing I don’t really like is the elastic back waistband. I don’t understand the point of that if it has a zipper. If I make this again, I’ll eliminate the elastic waistband and waist gathers and change the skirt portion and use a simple pencil skirt with darts and a waistband.

When I tried the dress on, I didn’t like how the back of the bodice didn’t lay right. It kept falling open, exposing my bra and it just overall looked sloppy.

I just ended up slipping stitching it down.

Even with the changes I made, it didn’t take a lot of time to make this dress and the fabric was incredible to work with.

Butterick 6351 has a basic sleeveless bodice with a horizontal underarm dart. I chose a multi-stripe  fabric and I wanted my pattern to match across all seams as much as possible. There was no way that they would at the side seams because of the dart pointing towards the bust apex at an angle. Had this been a solid fabric, I wouldn't have bothered. But it just wouldn't work for me aesthetically.  So I decided to pivot it and create a vertical waist dart.

Here's how I did it:

I made basic bodice alteration of lengthening an inch.

To move a dart on a pattern piece, draw a line to extend the dart to the apex. (Note: In case you didn't know, the bust apex is marked on the pattern pieces, usually.) 

Draw a line from the apex to the new dart position.

Cut out the original dart.

For the new dart, cut up to the apex and close the old dart.

Using pattern paper under the pattern piece, tape it in place and redraw dart. Your dart stitching line should end approximately 1" below the apex.

Here's how I cut out my front and back pattern pieces to match the stripes:

When matching prints, ALWAYS cut on a single layer.

Since the front bodice pattern piece is only half, I cut the first half and flip it over the the other side.

For the back, I used the cut out pattern piece, turned it to the other side and cut out while matching the stripes.

Here's the bodice front with the new dart.

And here's the back.

More to come on this post...