New Look pattern #6447
The second time utilizing this dress pattern. Instead of the sweet, flouncy skirt and country floral I went with this form-hugging pencil skirt and unconventional paisley.
The two dresses don’t even look related in the least bit! I have to admit, the night I made this dress, I laid it out in my bedroom eager to wear it to the office the next morning.
The material is actually ‘home decor’ fabric that I purchased on clearance for a whopping $3 a yard at Hobby Lobby. Most likely on clearance because it was more of a soft, lightweight linen then the durable, thick canvas one looks for when picking out upholstery fabric. When I saw the robust raspberry and windblown paisleys fanned out against the warm neutrals, my hand reached out to touch the silky material and I knew immediately that this fabric was on clearance because it was exclusively merchandised in the home decor section of the store and therefore overlooked. Seriously though, never be afraid to walk unconventional aisles to uncover some great deals and interesting finds.
Transformed into a sophisticated silhouette, this fabric looks like it belongs in a mall boutique store. The best part was having all my notes from the first time I made dress option D. The back fits much better the second time around because I knew from way ahead of time that it would need to be adjusted. After adjusting my tissue paper pattern I shortened the sleeves and extended the V in the back just a little to compensate. It still scrunches up a little at the waistline when I lean back slightly, but it looks great when I’m standing or sitting. My new millennial power dress took about 6 hours to make. I did have to watch a youtube video on how to create the skirt vent and honestly I think I only got it correct the first time due to a little dumb luck.
I also took the time to measure twice and think four times when cutting out the skirt from the provided pattern. I’m slightly exaggerated in my upper and lower assets (wink-wink nudge-nudge) and so I usually steer away from pencil dresses in stores. Usually if the bottom fits it means the waistline is going to be too loose. So I went ahead and created the skirt 2 sizes up on the tissue paper outline. I basted the zipper in place temporarily . Then, after trying it on, I adjusted the seams by sewing in an inch here and a half an inch there to make a comfortable custom fit.
Once again, I skipped the lining and used a less expensive zipper then what the directions called for. Although I created this dress with the intent on wearing it early Spring 2019, I went ahead and took it for a test drive to the office last week. Being complimented on a dress you pick out and purchase from a store is nice and re-assuring; but being complimented on a dress in which you chose the fabric, the cut, length… that is a new kind of special. At the time of me writing this I’ve already worked on a handful of other dresses for Spring 2019 and I have to say this will not be the last time I sew NewLook 6447. It’s simple to assemble, easy to adjust, and oh.. so flattering.
Sew & Pattern 