Scuba Dooba Doo! A Scuba & Ponte Knit Dress

What a delightfully quick sew! I made this dress in one day, but then, it really is like a long t-shirt, so it should be quick!

I used McCalls 6028, which I have made before, though I had to start from a fresh pattern in a larger size, so it took me an entire evening to perform all of my alterations:

• Lowered the bust point by 2" and widened the bust point.
• Lowered the front neckline by 1". (If you read the reviews, this pattern has a fairly high neck.)
• Shortened the dress by about 8".
• Lengthened the sleeve to full length.
• Omitted the back zipper and cut the back on the fold.
• I wanted to cut up the print as little as possible, and I wanted to preserve the curved shape at the top of the print, so I joined the center front pattern piece to the front yoke and cut them as a single unit. This created an inset corner, but I don't mind sewing inset corners - remember, I am a gusset lover! ;)
• Widened the waistline.
• Removed many inches from the hipline, and continued this down through the hem.
• I drafted facing for the neckline. I cut them out of the solid black ponte and pushed them slightly to the outside to create faux piping.

The solid black fabric is a wool doubleknit. When I found this wool on sale (it was sold as a wool ponte, but it's 97% wool and 3% lycra and is your basic doubleknit fabric), I bought 10 yards of it, so this is the third or fourth project where I have used it. I just love this stuff! It is warm, but it breaths, so mixing it with the scuba knit, which does not breath, means that the final garment is comfy to wear.

I love dressing this way, especially for work: A short sheath-style dress, worn with leggings or tights, is very flattering on my busty-with-thin-legs shape. I expect to wear this a lot as the weather cools.

Travel

I don't expect to be sewing much between now and the end of August, when I leave for Minnesota. For one thing, I have a final walking challenge that starts next week - to walk 100,000 steps in 7 days. Except I will be flying on the last day of the challenge, so I have 6 days. That means a lot of walking next weekend!

It looks like I will be going to Seattle for work in early September. Unfortunately, it will be a short trip and I won't have much time for fun, but if I do have a tiny bit of time, what is not-to-be-missed? (Though, to be honest, I might take the train to Portland and then meet up with DD1, who is eager to show me the house she is renting this year at school - it's her first non-student-housing experience!)

Have a great week!