Vogue 8379 – Knit Wrap Dress #2

This is my second time making this dress.  My first
review is here. 
For my second dress, I ordered a purple ITY knit print from Gorgeous
Fabrics. 
It was $12/yd.  I didn’t mind paying a little more than usual because I am SO
picky with prints.  It’s easy to find great prints for plus size ladies
but there are very few florals on a smaller scale, like this one.

This
knit was heavier and not quite as stretchy as my first attempt so I
changed the pattern a bit.  I added 1/4″ to the torso which was good
anyway because the original pattern is quite short-waisted.  I also took
a little more fullness out of the skirt.  I left the skirt long with
the intention of trimming it off to be hemmed at my knees.  It is always better to start off with a skirt that is too long than to end up with not enough length.  In my previous post on this pattern, I also explain how I made a SBA to the pattern.

When I first constructed the bodice and put it on, I was horrified. 
The edge of my fabric ended an inch above my waist and that wasn’t even
taking the seam allowance into consideration!.  This is because my
fabric wasn’t very stretchy.  I was so worried I’d have to cut a new
bodice out.  However, when I sewed the skirt to the bodice, the weight
of it pulled the waist seam down somewhat.  Whew!! That was a relief! It’s still a 1/2″ above my waistline but I think it looks okay.

I used a serger to sew all of the
seams.  I used a twin needle to finish the neckline and sleeve hems.  This
fabric was very forgiving and didn’t bubble in weird places or stretch
while I was stitching the hem.  If you’re not used to working with
knits, I’d recommend using a medium weight ITY knit like this one for
this pattern.  I cut 2 1/2″ off the skirt bottom edge before
hemming with a twin needle.

I trimmed a little off the sleeve
edge before hemming.  Once I hemmed it, I realized it was a little to
long, which to me looks frumpy.  I ruched the sleeves to bring
the hem up and because it adds a little spice to this otherwise basic design. 
You can learn how to make ruched sleeves here with my tutorial.  This was simple and quick and a winner on the first
try.

Overall I love the fabric and the fit — I mean, this dress
won’t even wrinkle!  It’s definitely going with me on my trip next
week.  I’d give the pattern an 8/10 (with the few adjustments
mentioned here and in my last attempt it’s a 9).  I think I want to branch out
and try other knit dress patterns but I wouldn’t mind coming back to it
in a few years for a third run.  Also, to all you moms to be out there,
this dress would be great for access for breastfeeding.  It’s so
comfortable, it’s literally like wearing a robe. Just don’t wear it to the chiropractor like I did yesterday.  It’s kind of hard to flip around an adjustment table in a wrap dress!