by Max Donos How do you survive a Canadian 6-months long winter in style ? And if you are not a snow bird?
A MOD sweater dress is the answer! Grabbing this fabulous printed wool mix sweater knit (WR402-004), some contrasting solid leather look (YY772-BLK), matching serger thread (1005450V), studs/rivets of your choice and Jalie Nicole Shift Dress (3903) can result in a similar versatile and stylish dress.
Jalie Nicole Shift Dress in printed wool mix sweater knit with leather details
Of course it did not come out of the package like this. First, I bought the sweater knit and the pattern. We discussed it with my spouse, and felt that it was too busy to have a whole dress out of it. My stash produced a black leather look from a previous project. We thought of patch pockets (tried with a paper cutout). Approved. Then, to stop the print closer to the face, I cut out a piece of paper in a shape of a shapely yoke. It made sense. So we proceeded with a leather yoke both front and back.
Then, after the dress was put together, I remembered about vintage pyramid studs. They worked so well with the print of the fabric. So, they found their place in the corners of the pockets and along the bottom edge of the yoke in the front. This way, there is no need for any jewelry to go with the dress.
This kind of project is a dream. The pattern relies heavily on the stretchy fabric for fit. I chose exactly what the pattern suggested for the size based on the chest measurement. The style of the dress is fairly loose. The pattern has only one bust dart. I just had to trim 1 inch off the sleeve, but much more (about 4 1/2 inches) to bring the hem up, more in line with the MOD style. No zippers, no closures. Pull it over your head – and you are done!
I was a little nervous sewing the leather look and the knit together, but neither the serger, nor the sewing machine gave me any grief. Mind you, I used the slowest speed possible, had multiple tests and used a teflon foot.
Hemming the sleeve by hand. Highly recommend for the “invisible” result.
I have to warn the reader about this sweater knit: it is a wool blend. Wool is a fiber that shrinks under heat. I did not want to wash and dry it, as I would normally do. I heavily steamed it instead. It shrank, and shrank, and shrank some more. But then it stopped shrinking. At that point, I was not afraid to cut it. And, as my spouse will attest, it holds the shape quite nicely.
I am confident, even a novice sewer will have success with this pattern-fabric combination for a stunning MOD sweater dress!
