Simplicity 8547

The instant I saw this dress I knew I had to make it and I knew I was going to embellish part of the front bodice.  

So, I ordered a stencil from here: ThanksImadeThem.  I purchased the 'drops' stencil.  I love it!

I was so excited to try this that I ended up just tracing the inside of each shape with a washable child marker instead of the usual painting with an airbrush.  It worked great, although I highly recommend testing your fabric prior to using the marker.  

So back to the pattern.  I used three fabrics, all from my stash.  The blue and white knit are Stof knits that are 94% cotton and 6% spandex.  Usually people use Organic cotton for Alabama Chanin handwork, but I decided to use what I had on hand.  The mesh is also from my stash.

This fabric is much, much stretchier than the pattern envelope calls for.  Because of that I eliminated the back zipper.  If you used a firmer knit, you'll want the zip.  This dress is very close fitting.  I am wearing as much shapewear as I can under this.  It will look much more flattering once I finally loose 10 pounds! 

The pattern is very well drafted.  It goes together beautifully.  I made a few alterations.

1.  I raised the V-back 5 inches.  It would hit you a little higher than the natural waist.  

2.  I had to raise the waistline by about an inch.  For reference, I am 5'7".  

That's it.  After wearing it, and seeing photos, I need to raise the front waistline an additional 1/2"-ish.  There is a ripple there that I don't like.  

My sleeves aren't nearly as snug as Mimi's.  I may need to take those in a bit as well.

  

Here is a peek at the hem and the stitch I use to create almost all my hems.  It is #22 on my Bernina.  

All in all, I really like this dress.  It was fun to create the reverse applique.  

Thanks for reading!

Sue