Foxy Skater Dress

I’m so pumped about this wardrobe of dresses I’ve been building for this summer, and plan on adding some skirts and tops pretty soon too. They’re going to be so much more comfortable in the Texas heat than the jeans I’ve worn most of the past few summers. Plus, most of the ones I’ve made and have planned are in ridiculous adorable and/or awesome prints, which make me so happy all day. One of my favorite patterns I’ve tried out so far is the Lady Skater dress from Kitschy Coo, and its super extra comfortable because its made for knits. Bonus: no zipper or buttons!

The pattern has measurements for upper bust and upper waist instead of the more typical bust and waist, which I think was good for me because I seem to have narrow shoulders. I think the idea is that the knit fabrics called for by the pattern have enough give to account for different cup sizes (and she has a cool tutorial for FBA and other adjustments on her blog here!)

The sizing is completely independent of typical sizes. I cut a size 2 in the high bust and 3 in the high waist based on my measurements and because I was worried about the stretch in my material, and it fit pretty well. The fabric I was using only has about 20% stretch, so the neck band isn’t perfect. The waist is also a smidge looser than I like, but it makes getting the dress on/off a lot easier by having a bit more room. When I make more (and there will be more!) I’ll probably cut a straight size 2 – especially because the next fabrics I have lined up for this pattern have more stretch. I might also try to add pockets, because I’ve totally been loving those on my other dresses.

The instructions also call for adding clear elastic to the waist and shoulders, which is kind of fantastic. Why? She talks about it on her blog here. With just 6 main pieces (more if you include neck/arm bands), no closure, and simple lines, I’m pretty sure I sewed this up in less than half an hour once I had it cut out.

I got the awesome fabric at a website that sells tons of awesome knits, Girl Charlee. Side note: If you want to create an account to place an order, do it through this link and help a girl out! You get your first order at 10% off whether you sign up through me or not 🙂 This print is sold out, but they have it in a lighter color way here!

I got this pattern, along with 4 other women’s patterns, through a neat deal called perfect pattern parcel. Basically, they team up with independent designers to put together a group of cool patterns for sale as a bundle for a limited time. They let you choose how much you want to pay for them (there is a minimum, but it was something like $15 for 5 patterns!) and how much of the cost you want to go to the designers of the patterns, the pattern parcel team, and a charity. I’m excited to see what else they come out with next!