Sewing Project 004: Dress - Appleton pattern

(apologies for another first-thing-in-the-morning selfie!)

Pattern: Appleton by Cashmerette (https://shop.cashmerette.com/collections/pdf-patterns/products/appleton-dress)

Who for: Emma

Size: 20 with cup size G

Type: Wrap Dress

Description: "Meet the Appleton Dress, your new wardrobe staple. This classic wrap dress is designed to play up your curves with a crossover front, a built-in waist tie, and a deep V-neck. Designed by and for curvy women, the Appleton’s innovative neckband construction prevents gaping across your bust. Do a celebratory shimmy, because this bodice has you well covered!"

Fabric: Isaform lightweight knit on special at Spotlight for $8/m

Notions: light blue thread

Modifications/Alterations: I tried to stay fairly true to the pattern with this one, as it was for a dress swap and I didn't want to muck it up. I did some French seams instead of overlocking the edges as I had trouble with the fabric getting stuck in the feed when I went too close to the edge, so the seam allowances were larger than what was recommended (more like 1" than 5/8").

Results: Not the greatest thing I've ever made. I fell in love with the print and the fabric feels really lovely to the touch, but honestly I'd avoid sewing with it again - it's so slippery and delicate and kept getting sucked into my machine feed :-( I also discovered that stretch stitch is really hard to unpick on lightweight fabric... I was doing okay until I went to sew the neckband onto the front and back pieces only to discover that the fabric had laddered badly at the neck :-O Luckily I had enough left over fabric that I could recut the back piece, and I just had to remember to be gentle when moving the pieces around. I should have staystitched around the necklines but I just didn't think to do it. If I did it over again, I'd do a better job, but I think it turned out okay considering the challenges! Hopefully my swap partner will like it and it will fit her okay - with all the extra seam allowances I found it a bit tight when I tried it on as you can see in the picture, and my partner is slightly bigger than me. But it does fit quite nicely around the chest and the neckline doesn't plunge. Worst case scenario it would make a great bathrobe!

Notes for future makes: I doubt I'd make this style again. Nothing wrong with the pattern, but I'm not really a fan of wrap dresses and the skirt is too narrow for my tastes.