LBD

Project Sewn has begun again.  Time to sew for myself and pretend not to be awkward in pictures!  The first week's challenge was to sew a little black dress.  

I have a ton of dresses, though barely any black.  It's a flattering color but my cats are blond and their hair shows up on anything dark.  When I decided to sew along and make a black dress for my wardrobe, I knew I wanted something comfortable and with a bit of a sleeve to match the upcoming cold weather.  So I went with a black knit that has a little gold sparkle - I have no idea what compelled me to pick it.  The fabric looked a little cheap to me in the store, but then I started envisioning it as perfect for a holiday dress.  I could see this being worn with a witch hat for Halloween, a cute cardi for Thanksgiving, or as is for Christmas parties.

I went about constructing this dress by hacking apart the Casual Lady pattern.  It had the bodice fit and sleeves that I wanted, but not enough flow in the bottom portion.  So I stopped the pattern at my natural waist and added a banded area to highlight it.  The skirt is gathered in the center and pleated in the back.

The knit is very thin so it drapes a little different than I expected.  You may also notice that I made a V back and scooped the neckline low in the front.  Everything is covered, yet the dress isn't super modest.   I also added some braided knit to the shoulders for interest.  I swear it lays flatter than the pictures suggest.  

So week 1's sew along - check!  Next week's challenge is to make something Era inspired.  I have some ideas, but nothing sewn yet.  Hopefully I'll be back next week with a new outfit or dress and some smiles in pics.  Kinda tough to smile when everyone at the library play ground is wondering what you're doing.  Check out the contestants's black dresses for this week here - they are all amazing!

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