I wanted some casual-ish dresses to wear, especially when it’s still kind of cold out. Simplicity 2054 seemed like a perfect choice, and I loved the cowl look, and I love the elbow vent. While I was at the Sewing Expo, I found some black viscose from Vogue Fabrics, and decided to make the style with the elbow cut-out (no cowl).
I spent about 15 minutes trying to figure out how to fold the fabric in half and smooth out the layers, until I gave up and cut it as a single layer. All my pieces still came out just fine. Also, I used the rotary cutter to cut out each piece. When I sewed the dress together, I used polyester thread, a stitch for stretchy fabrics on my machine, and the walking foot on my machine to make it easier to sew the knit fabric together. The instruction did suggest using a serger, but since I don’t have one, I made do with what I have.
I didn’t hem the sleeves or skirt as much as suggested, but usually, hemming length is to the desire of the wearer, and for some reason I like to have a little longer sleeves.
I love this dress!