Second Verse Same As The First

Turns out Olivia really needed at least one more dress. All of her other dresses and skirts are maxi length, but she can't wear those to her Commencement ceremony this coming week or it will hang out from under the gown. Not only would that look bad, but it's not allowed and since she will be up on the stage giving the Valedictorian speech, she wants to look good. We shopped a few stores but everything in the juniors department was too sheer and too short (for her taste). Everything in the women's department was too old and business-like. We stopped at Joann's and picked up 2-1/2 yards of black ponte knit not knowing exactly what we would do with it.

She searched Pinterest for another design that could work for graduation plus some graduation parties and still meet her minimalist aesthetic. These wide trapeze dresses with the handkerchief hems are popular so we made up a pattern. The top is basically a Love Notions Laundry Day Tee with the neckline cut nearly straight across. It is just turned and topstitched with the double needle.

We wanted the overall length at the center to be 39" (from shoulder point to hem) and for the drops to be 5". We drew the bottom line across first and then went up 5" and connected that to the armscye. Our front and back pieces were identical. I had Olivia do the cutting as practice for when we make those skirts soon. Side note: We planned on not hemming it because ponte is thick and I didn't think we'd like the points hemmed. After adding the sleeves, I basted the sides together so she could try it on. Then she took it off and we removed the basting and cut 2 inches off the bottom and the side drops.

The lower chalk line at the neck represents where the pattern's back neckline should be and the higher one is where we cut both the front and back.

We added side seam pockets in a lightweight woven to reduce bulk and not stretch longer when putting something heavy like a phone in there. That is definitely an extra step worth taking. Sometimes I get lazy with those things, but with Olivia standing over my shoulder, no way could I skip it.  

She is super happy with this dress. She wore it today to mass and then to a friend's graduation party. She is currently out getting coffee with another friend so I'd say this dress is proving to be the new favorite and is likely to get worn plenty in the next couple of months. The fabric cost $22 with a coupon. That's way less than any dresses we saw in the stores.

Thanks for checking in. I'm going to try my best to participate in Kids Clothes Week for Elena so I should be posting a lot this week. When it rains it pours with me.