This third version of the “asymmetrical neckline dress”, was a little something I started working on right before Easter (hence the colour). I wanted a nice and comfortable dress that I could wear at home so I decided to make it in this wonderful yellow jersey that I bumped into at the fabric store.

I was also interested in seeing how the jersey would drape compared to the other fabrics. Even though it’s the same pattern, it looks quite different from both the tartan and the graphite dress. The other two fabrics had a bit more structure compared to this one, which basically lives a life of its own.

For more information about the pattern, check out Asymmetrical Neckline Dress – making the pattern

Front…

and back!

Now you might think that I’ve been holding onto this since Easter (when I was supposed to have finished the dress). Problem was that a bunch of other stuff got higher priority, like making a new dress for a spring wedding we were attending. Then I got very tired and nauseous which didn’t exactly put me in the mood for finishing the dress. Now that I finally had the time and energy to finish it, it doesn’t really fit like I thought it would when I started in April ;)

By now, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of my loyal readers started to wonder if I ever made a tartan asymmetrical neckline dress. Did I perhaps give up after making the necktie? I certainly did not! Did I have the energy to blog about it? Nope, sadly I did not. But better late than never! :)

The main fabric for the dress is a medium heavy cotton fabric with a tartan print. Its properties are similar to my usual muslin fabric from IKEA, only a bit thicker. For the lining of the skirt, I used a regular lining fabric (probably polyester). The graphite version of this dress didn’t have a lined skirt and the only reason for that was that the inside of that fabric is very sleek as it is. The cotton however, needed lining, otherwise I would’ve ended up with a skirt moving higher and higher up my thighs.

Inside of the tartan dress (front).

An improvement from the graphite version of the dress are the belt loops. Since the tartan pattern changed between the skirt and the top, it would look much better with a belt. And to keep a belt in place, you need belt loops :) Another detail worth mentioning is the “chain sewed” thread that attaches the under skirt (lining) to the outer skirt. This keeps the under skirt from sliding around.

I’ve also included a neat way of sewing darts and fastening the thread. Just start sewing your dart and when you’re close to the edge, carefully sew a couple of stitches parallel to the edge. After the parallel stitches, steer the needle over the edge and sew ~1-1.5cm without any fabric. Stop sewing, lift the presser foot and move the fabric towards you. Now sew a couple of stitches on the dart to fasten the thread. It’s quick and easy and the result looks great every time.

Close-up on one of the two belt loops.

This little thread prevents the under skirt from moving around.

Quick and easy way to sew a dart and fasten the thread.

The inside of the invisible zipper.