When I saw this gorgeous peony floral print, I knew I had to have it! The watercolor design is printed on ponte de roma knit fabric. I love this type of material because it's one of the easier knits to work with. It's more stable than most knits, doesn't crease, doesn't roll on the edges, and holds its shape fairly well. It was stable enough for this fun collar that's part of New Look Pattern 6000.
I've used this pattern twice before. For this make, I hacked it so I wouldn't have to add a zipper. Thanks to the stretch factor the ponte de roma offers, I'm able to pull the finished dress over my head.
I didn't use negative ease (making the dress smaller than my actual measurements) because I didn't want this to be a body con dress. Overall, I'm super happy with the fit. I think this dress has a fun vintage look--almost a bit of a Stepford Wives vibe if you ask me.
A few tips for working with ponte de roma:
1. Use your sharpest cutting tools. It's thicker than most knits, so it's a bit tougher to cut.
2. Use a ballpoint needle--these are designed to separate the layers of thread in the fabric instead of tearing through them. Using a regular needle may result in skipped stitches and puckering.
3. Press your seams open. Since this is a thicker fabric, it's best to reduce bulk by opening the seams instead of pushing them all to one side.
Overall, this dress was pretty easy to make! I highly recommend it!
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Chloe of No Idle Hands is sharing an early Christmas gift for her husband that is sure to win his heart! She sewed up a warm and cozy shacket using our sweatshirt fleece and Robert Kaufman flannel- two of our comfiest fabrics!
Join Nicole of Sew Hard of Hearing for a wrap up of this week's sewing! She's sharing her latest holiday makes featuring RCF Christmas prints. Don't miss the last stops on the tour too!
