A Post-Thanksgiving Dress

After all the eating that comes with Thanksgiving weekend, it seems only right to live in stretchy knit dresses for the next week, right? This is just the first of a handful of knit dresses that I pounded out, just in time for the after-eating bulginess. Also, a sturdy elastic belt is as good as tummy-control shapewear.

Back view.

Actually, Mr. Cation and I didn't really do an excessive amount of eating for Thanksgiving; it was the first major holiday since we started dating where it was just the two of us (three, if you count Walnut), so we didn't bother with a huge fancy dinner at all. I think our families were slightly taken aback when we told them we were just going to make beef stroganoff for dinner, but hey, red meat + butter + sour cream + white carbs = my idea of perfection (also my science teacher side's idea of heart disease in a meal). Most of the time, we try to eat lots of fruits and veggies and non-processed foods like the neo-hipsters we are, but sometimes (and Thanksgiving seems like the right time), a little regression is nice. Also, Walnut loves it whenever we make anything that involves red meat; he goes crazy with whining and head-butting until we give him a tiny bit. And by tiny bit, I mean a piece of meat the size of an "o" in 12 point Times New Roman.*

This is Walnut's "real, non-processed food is imminent" face.
Sometimes I look at his pictures and I think he doesn't even look like a real cat, just like some big, fluffy, impossibly cute creature. 

Anyway, this dress has the same basis as my Travel to Work Dress, what with the crossover front bodice and some-fraction-of-a-circle skirt. I used my not-a-Renfrew pattern to make the front bodice pieces as follows:

The solid line is the original bodice piece, and the dashed line shows what the modified piece should look like. Although in all honesty, I didn't think to extend the side seam to allot for curving under the bust when I sewed mine, so the side seam doesn't lie perfectly straight. You would need to cut two of these crossover pieces, making sure that they're mirror images of each other, and then gather or pleat the shorter side before sewing the side seams in order to get it to cross and end under the bust, if that makes sense. 

You can see here how my side seam pulls forward where the short side attaches.
The pieces are pretty snug under the bust as well. 

The construction is pretty much the same after that, except for adding the sleeves (I sewed them in flat), and that the skirt just has two pieces.

Summary:
Fabric: A little less than 3 yards of 54" wide cotton jersey in this quirky fish scale-ish print. I got it a year ago at the FIDM scholarship store, but it wasn't until I got my brown boots this fall that I felt inspired to do something with it. I was afraid that the blue/brown color combo might be a little too 2006, but I think it's okay. Actually, as I typed that, I just realized that I don't really care even if it is a little outdated of a color trend; I like it and that's really all that concerns me. Gosh, I love how getting older means getting a sense of perspective and realizing who cares what everyone else thinks as long as I like it.
Notions: Elastic at the waist to help with recovery. Aaaaaand the zipperless streak continues...
Hours: Two? These knit dresses go together so quickly once you've got a reliable knit block.
Will you make it again? Probably. Like I said, reliable block = fast and easy. Plus, I like the crossover bodice look. Good thing my Tiramisu dress pattern should be arriving soon! Also, I still want to make a crossover bodice dress where the pieces cross over the bust, not under it, with the shorter side ending right at the top of the armpit.
Total cost: $3! I am seriously going to miss the $1/yd prices at the FIDM scholarship store when I move away from TCOCC. It's gotten to the point where I think $5/yd is too much to pay for fabric. I know, I'm so spoiled.
Final thoughts: This print is a bit busy, but I love having a totally different dress from everyone else who's wearing black, dark grey, and navy blue while waiting for BART. Granted, teaching means I have a bit more leeway than say, lawyers and bankers -- I don't imagine it would go over too well if I showed up at a bank job wearing hippos. I also like that the sleeves are slightly warmer than cap sleeves, but not so large that I can't throw on a cardigan on top. And let's not forget how delightfully a circle-based skirt drapes and twirls!

With the twirly skirt and boots, these pictures remind me of River Tam dancing in "Safe." If only I could dance like Summer Glau!
Instead,  I've been twirling it up at English country dancing. 

*I do not condone the regular use of TNR, since it's a pretty boring font, but it's still better than Comic Sans or Papyrus. Seriously, my only gripe with Firefly/Serenity is the use of Papyrus. Still, TNR does have its place, and it also makes a good point of reference.