Throw and Go
Posted on: 3 July, 07
- In: sewing | travel
- 17 Comments
In every girl’s closet, there should be at least one dress that she can throw on in seconds and be ready for anything from running to the market to an impromptu luncheon with girlfriends. Since I never know what my day holds, I need a closet full of just such a dress. Simplicity 3775 is a great pattern for a “throw and go” dress.
The fabric is from my trip to Fabrix in San Francisco. I wanted a pattern that would play with the lines of the fabric. The waist treatment concerned me. Who wants that much bulk right across the midsection? The pattern calls for the twist pieces to be doubled to conceal raw edges. I opted to make them single layer with rolled edge hems. If you are at all preoccupied with your midsection, this might not be the dress for you. The waist treatment definitely draws the eye right to the middle. The dress is very close fitting and requires a knit with quite a bit of stretch.
Overall, the sewing was easy. The neckband is cut with a separate back neckband to achieve a nice curve. This would also make it easy to use a contrast fabric for the neckband and waist treatment. The wrap top stays closed quite nicely and is not dangerously low cut. Because it is a stretchy knit, the dress is easy to move in and would pack well for a trip. I wouldn’t mind another one of these in a wool jersey for winter.
This last photo is for those who are as obsessed as I am about matching stripes when sewing….
We won’t talk about how much time I spent laying it out so the stripes would make this chevron pattern on the sides. It was totally worth it for my peace of mind.
17 Responses to "Throw and Go"
3 July, 07 at 2:32 pm
Teri, that is so wonderful. Love the stripes and the different directions. Big question, what do your sons say about this one ?
reply to Lori: the boys definitely liked this dress. they said the intersecting lines were slimming. i have no idea where they come up with all these ideas about clothes being “slimming.” i have never expressed concerns about my weight. they will not watch “what not wear with me.” maybe they hear the girls at school talking. anyway, it is always amusing to hear their thoughts. they are funny, funny boys.
3 July, 07 at 8:58 pm
Beautiful dress. And you are absolutely right, we all need that kind of dress in our closet. I am getting ready to do a major purge of my closet and start over. I believe it will enlightening. And when I do that, I am going to take this advice to heart and have some throw and go dresses in my wardrobe.
3 July, 07 at 8:58 pm
Beautiful dress. And you are absolutely right, we all need that kind of dress in our closet. I am getting ready to do a major purge of my closet and start over. I believe it will enlightening. And when I do that, I am going to take this advice to heart and have some throw and go dresses in my wardrobe.
Sorry, I put the wrong email address in the last comment.
3 July, 07 at 9:42 pm
You did a great job with those stripes. And your midsection is tiny enough that you can afford the extra attention there. Good job!
4 July, 07 at 7:10 am
Oh Teri, this dress is beautiful. You did a great job (again), and it fits so well. I miss not being able to wear my dresses this year due to my breastfeeding the little one.
4 July, 07 at 10:30 am
That dress looks great. What a terrific go-to dress it will become. I’d love to have a tummy that flat after having children 🙂 The stripes look great. g
5 July, 07 at 2:53 pm
Wow! That is a fantastic dress. I know you think it adds bulk to the waist but I think it tricks the eye into cinching in. Just beautiful! Also, thanks for leaving a comment on my site about the saline mist, I tried it. It it so much better than my other options!
8 July, 07 at 11:07 am
How gorgeous! You did a fantastic job of matching those stripes! It looks so great on you. I just received this pattern 🙂
10 July, 07 at 12:48 pm
Another winner Teri! Great job on the stripes…I am obsessed with matching stripes too! LOL
15 July, 07 at 8:46 am
Nice match on the stripes!
I’ve got this on my sewing machine right now, other waist view – the ruched one – should finish it today. It’s amazing what different fabric choices will do in making a pattern look different.
After seeing this, I may just make another, striped version.
22 July, 07 at 10:22 pm
Teri- what a great dress! I have this pattern and some fabric from Gorgeous Things (gorgeousthings.com ) – they have an amazing selection of knits- that I have been dying to try it out with, but have been a bit chicken both about the neckline depth and the waistline bulk- thanks for the review, it has encouraged me to forge on !
Great job on the stripes ! And btw Gaylen is right- you sure have a cute little figure!
25 July, 07 at 7:17 am
WOW, your dress is gorgeous!!!! I was just looking at reviews for that dress on PR and found yours. I’m sorry I missed it the first go round (I can’t keep up with so many being posted every day). I’m going to **try** to get one made up today for up my upcoming trip – hopefully it will go smoothly. 🙂
mermaids 
3 July, 07 at 1:46 pm
Gorgeous! I love how the stripes work at the neckline and at the waist twist. I keep on seeing people make this pattern, but I’d completely missed the twisted-waist version.