Lady Skater Dress

The Lady Skater Dress has been all over my blog feed for the past year.  And with good reason.  This pattern is magic.  

I've had the pattern for months but kept putting off making the dress because I couldn't decide what size to make.  The sizing of the pattern is a little different than I'm used to and my measurements were completely wacky on the chart.  My high bust was 34" and high waist was 30", so I wasn't anywhere on the size chart.  However, I went with size 4 when I finally got up the nerve cut into some fabric since it was the best compromise between the measurements.  I used some knit I got cheap a while back since I didn't think it would turn out well.  When cut out, the pattern pieces looked too small and too short.  The fabric wasn't too stretchy so I was pretty sure this dress was going to get donated to a smaller lady. 

Well, surprise, it fit just fine!  The neckline is my favorite part.  It feels flattering and it stays put when I'm leaning over, a must if I want to wear the dress while playing with the kids.  I'm not sure about the waist placement yet - I might move it up an inch closer to my natural waistline.  

The skirt portion is also a lot of fun.  Nice flare to it.  My only regret is not adding pockets.  Well, and also the fabric I used.  I love the color and polka print, but I found out as I was half way into sewing it up that it wasn't the recommend type of knit to use for the pattern (curled a ton when cut and didn't have good stretch recovery).  Oh well, it still worked out.  I'm glad I finally sewed up the pattern, I can see this dress becoming a staple pattern for my handmade wardrobe!