I've had Butterick 6388 for quite a few years now. In fact it has been part of my #makenine plans for 3 years in a row. Well I finally finished! This was one of those projects where I just didn't pick the right fabric and in order to finish, I had to face that fact and adjust! My original plan was to make the cover dress.
It seemed so cozy and I thought it would be perfect for a New England winter. I had read several posts about people using a man's sweatshirt to make the Lola dress from Victory patterns. So I thought I could use this pattern which is a little more my style, and accomplish the same thing. I purchased this beefy sweatshirt fleece from Mood two and a half years ago and finally started making the dress last year.
The fleece has no drape and it really is quite thick. As I was working with it, I realized I was probably going to look like a giant red polar bear - not the look I was going for! So this winter, I used the Sew Some Fun sewing prompt of "sewing with a pattern that I have had for more than a year" to just face the fact that while the fabric was lovely and warm, it wasn't going to result in the dress I anticipated. So I got out the scissors and cut my dress! The result is a warm and comfy top that is as warm as a sweatshirt but has a lot more style! I love my top.
I still hope to make the dress one day - perhaps with a French Terry that would still be warm and cozy but have a little more drape. I also realized once the top was finished that the fleece doesn't have much give and I think I would have needed more ease in the hips if the dress was going to be comfortable to sit and move about in. Choosing the correct fabric is still an aspect of sewing that I sometimes struggle with - does the fabric have enough drape? Will the garment have enough body? So often we just don't know until the garment is made!
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