Pattern Review: B6205 + Metallic stripes

Hi!  Well, I’m back with another dress!  I picked up this striped cotton and metallic fabric from Joann’s with no clue what I would make with it.  I thought a dress, but it’s a thin shirting material and I wasn’t sure if it had enough body for a dress.  One of my Facebook groups had a stripes challenge and I thought, what a great way to use and highlight this fabric. 

I’ve also seen these tie shoulders on a ready to wear dress online and thought it was interesting.  I have forward shoulders, so an opportunity to not make a shoulder adjustment is a plus!  The dress also reminds me of a cheater shirt dress, the shaped hem is a good design feature and I get a shirt dress without plackets and buttons!  This is an older pattern and I was surprised I didn’t see more reviews, there were a few on pattern review, but not as many as I would have expected.  I’m a lazy sewist and I want maximum impact for little to no work so getting a dress that doesn’t require much fitting is ideal for me.

My kids says it looks “country” and I look like I’m from Kansas, wait what?  what do people from Kansas look like?  Anyway, they can’t give me fashion advice anyway lol..  on to my country chic faux shirt dress review:

Pattern Description:

Pullover dress has very loose-fitting, self-lined bodice extending into
tie ends, partially elasticized neckline and (seamed) waist, side
pockets and narrow hem. A: Shaped hemline. B: Midi-length. C: Floor-length.  I sewed view A.

SEWING LEVEL: Beginner. 

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

 
Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?

 
Yes, easy for a beginner, I found no errors in the instructions and the illustrations were good.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

 
Likes:
– self lined bodices and ties at the shoulder ( I will use these ties again)
-elastic at front and back neckline
-elastic waist
-shaped hemline

No dislikes.

Fabric Used:
Cotton and Metallic

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

 
I didn’t sew my normal big 4 size of XL, instead I sized down to a large.  My full bust measurement is 46″, the finished bust measurement printed on the pattern is 53.5″ for a Large, that was 7″ of ease which was plenty for a casual dress; when picking a bodice size,  I usually shoot for 4″ of bust ease in a semi-fitted garment.  I couldn’t fit 3/4 inch elastic to the waist, so I used 1/2 inch elastic.

Would you sew it again? 
Yes, I think this would be cute in a chambray or linen blend.

Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, the use of elastic and the generous ease in this pattern makes it great for everyone, especially beginners.  There is not a lot of fitting required and the normal fitting woes are remedied with elastic, a win-win.

Time:
This took me about an hour and half to make, most of the time was spent, transferring markings, feeding through elastic, cleaning up seams, hemming and lurking on Facebook. 

Techniques used: 

Straight hem-  I’m the queen of uneven hems and wonky seams, here’s how I remedy this: before pressing up the 5/8″ hem per the instructions, I sew a straight stitch at the 5/8″ hem line all around the bottom hem using the seam line on my machine.  I then press at this 5/8″ line and proceed with the narrow hem.  You can make your own hem guide template like this one but , I’ve come to like using the straight stitch method because this gives me a  good even guide especially if my fabric doesn’t press well and your narrow hem will be balanced all the way around the garment.

I want to hear from you, what do you think?  Have you sewn this pattern, did you like it, do you
have plans to sew it?