A quick jersey dress

This week I started with reorganizing my stash. I simply took all the fabrics out, and then sorted them back in. I took the chance to get rid of quite a few meters of poly satin and organzas. One thing I noticed is that I had a couple of jersey fabrics. I have probably bought them with the plans to make something to wear everyday, but nothing has happened. Since most of my regular wardrobe consists of jersey dresses I felt that I should come up with a basic pattern, and then it shouldn't be too hard to move the fabric from the stash and into my wardrobe as an actual dress.

I decided to use an old dress pattern from the sewing magazine Ottobre Woman. It's the same pattern that I used for my Star Wars coctail dress and comes with a few variations on neckline. Now I went for the most basic, called "Old-school teacher". Since the fabric I had was jersey I ignored the zipper and simply cut the back bodice piece in one, I also didn't use any lining but made a facing around the neckline.

The skirt was just straight panels that I pleated into the waist, instead of the shaped pencil skirt that's in the original pattern. What I really like with this pattern is that it's shaped with two underbust darts, I think they are very flattering and easier to get right than princess seam darts.

I felt that in this plaid fabric the dress really said "old-school teacher", which is great for a basic dress, but I still wanted something more fun. I took a look in my ribbon drawer and took a piece of by now quite worn satin ribbon. I made a basic ribbon flower, by simply making gathering stitches along and edge and gather it together. To cover the hole in the middle I could finally use two fabric covered buttons, they were a strange gift after a seminar about tourism. Everyone got one button in quite a strange fabric. I got two since one of my coworkers gave hers to me "after all you sew you can maybe do something useful with it". Finally after 8 years I have used them.

I think that the flowers bring a bit of fun to the dress, but I haven't attached them very securely so I can take them off if I change my mind.

The whole dress took around 2 hours, so now I have a basic dress pattern to use. It will also come in handy for my next Star Wars costume project, but that's only in the planning stages at the moment.