So the point I was getting to was that now I need more work clothes! I've realised that even though I now have a growing collection of lovely me-made dresses, they weren't exactly suitable to more conservative work environments. Think fluffy sun-dresses. But then again, I did wear my Darth Vader Carolina Mae to a client meeting and it turned out ... interesting. We ended up talking about sewing!
My go-to dress for instant gratification is usually the Tiramisu, since you can't really get the fit too off and there are only 4 main bodice pieces minus the bands. My first navy one has been worn to death, I think I wear it at least once every 2 weeks! I'd made one for my mum and that was even more satisfying because she'd finally found her long-lost figure (It's just her imagination, her waistline never left her). She now wears that dress for her girly outings, and enjoys telling everyone that it is a handmade dress!
I needed another Tiramisu in my life but I like variety as well. I already have a deep eggplant-coloured ponte knit in my stash, which I heard was really suitable for making pencil dresses. So I did!
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This is the first time I'm using ponte knit. It's thick, spongey and has a slight stretch. Except for the thickness, it was really easy to handle - almost like a woven, except that it wasn't easy to press. The fabric also seems to hold its shape well with minimal distortions.
The only gripe I have is possibly that it's not comfortable to wear in warm weather, certainly nothing compared with the T-shirt thin cotton knits that I usually use. It does feel heavier and more expensive though.
You have no idea how many pictures I've had to take without showing my lumps and bumps through the fabric ... lol.
The bodice was constructed in the usual manner with no drama. The skirt portion was even easier! I wish I could say that I had drafted the pattern from scratch using precise measurements and a trusty old French curve but no. All I did was trace it off an existing RTW knit pencil skirt that I had... haha! I'm such a cheater.
My biggest worry then was not being able to pull the dress over my shoulders and I would have had to insert a zipper, but thank goodness that it wasn't necessary at all since the ponte was stretchier than I'd thought.
For some reason, the dress was poufing out badly at the back especially around my lower back. I didn't have this problem for the original half-circle skirt version. I wasn't sure if it was because of the stiffer material, or the tighter skirt?
So I put 2 darts in the back! If you look closely in the pic above, you can see where the darts are. I thought they were a bit strange because the darts run across the waistband into the bodice as well as down into the skirt but I'd rather have weird darts than an ill-fitting dress! Or I could also convince myself that it's part of the "design" and congratulate me on my clever-ness. Ha!
From this angle, you can see that the back fits properly now. In all likelihood, I could probably take 2" off from the centre back of the waistband and dart the bodice properly from there since that was the width I'd removed with the darts.
Would I make another ponte pencil Tiramisu? Probably not. As much as I enjoyed the construction process, I prefer the freedom of frolicking around in fuller skirts! Ponte knit is also not so ideal in terms of comfort and breathability, so I'm likely gonna be sticking to my double gauzes, voiles and lawns.
