Colour in My Wardrobe!

I live in Melbourne where we are known for wearing black.  I wonder if anyone thought that if there were some colour in the shops people might actually buy it.  Instead we have no choice.  It's even hard to get away from shades of black when buying fabric.  I have been wearing black, grey and white, or some form of a neutral for way too long now and wanting to add some colour to my wardrobe for some time so, when I saw this purple fabric I just had to have it.

TaDa!  One down three to go!  My first dress in the June Challenge 4 x 1 which also helps me achieve another day in the Me-Made June Challenge. 

This is the dress I wore today and was absolutely thrilled when I received 2 compliments within 10 minutes of my arrival at work.  Neither person could believe it when I said 'I made this myself!'  This really made my day.

During the course of Me-Made June I have discovered that it is very hard to get a decent photo.  It took my husband about 10 shots of the back view to get this one and I still don't think this is very good.  The flash appears to be too bright and you can't see the pleat detail very well in either photo.  Below is my review of this pattern.

Pattern:  Butterick 5523

Description:
Close-fitting, A-line, above mid knee length, pullover dress with draped collar, front and back pleats, Long sleeves with pleats at cap, back tab with non-functioning buttons.

Size:  8-14.  I cut the 14 View A.   I probably could have cut the 12.

Did it look like the  pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Yes it did.



Fabric:  Gina Dry Handle Knit purchased from Knitwit

Were the instructions easy to follow?  Yes, very easy. Great project for a beginner.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the style. I didn't like that there was no allowance made to shorten the waist for petite sizes. For a dress that is supposed to be close fitting it isn't really.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I made the usual pattern changes for shortening the waist and sleeve lengths and I sewed the elastic to the empire seam line as I didn't read the instructions and cut off the allowance for the casing.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Probably not, but I do recommend it.

Conclusion:
I love this dress, it's easy to sew and makes a great addition to your wardrobe.