New Look 6049 - Pattern Review

*This is a super late post...I had this dress waiting to be finished on my sewing table and magically 8 months passed!!*

I have been anxious to try sewing something for myself!  Although I still have a little ways to go before I'm back to my pre-baby measurements I thought that this pattern would be forgiving in fit.  I do own a similar Simplicity pattern but it didn't go up to the size I would need so I used this pattern because the ease was greater than the Simplicity 1776 pattern and it gave me a little extra room.

In comparing the two patterns, they are almost identical.  However the Simplicity pattern does have two neckline variations, the option to use a binding for the neck and patch pockets.  If you're going to pick between the two then I would probably go with the Simplicity 1776 pattern because it has more options.  Right now you might be asking yourself why does she own them both?  To answer your question, there was a time when I wasn't keeping track of the patterns I owned and I bought a few doubles and some similar patterns.  After finding my duplicates I decided to be a little bit more careful with my pattern shopping so I rarely buy patterns now and if I do, I make sure I check my stash before making my purchase.  Anyway, back to the dress...

I knew I wanted to have a faux leather hem like this dress (above) but wasn't sure what fabric to use until I went to JoAnn's and found this dark purple fabric.  This fabric is labeled as jegging fabric but I thought that it would be perfect for the dress because of it's stretchability (4-ways).

I used version B of the pattern and cut a size 12, I took it in a lot and it's still loose on me (especially in the waist), I also added a 3 1/2" inch faux leather hem.  I first sewed the dress with the sleeves and they were almost long enough to be full length sleeves instead of 3/4 length sleeves.  Another thing, I didn't like the bell shape of the sleeves because they looked like wizard sleeves on me...not cool.  To fix the sleeves I removed some of the flare and decided to shorten them to my elbow but when I marked and cut them, I took off too much so they became short sleeves.  As I continued to play with the sleeves I noticed that something just wasn't right in the armpit and bust area.  After a while I realized that I needed to raise the arm hole and take in the side seam near the bust so I ripped out the sleeves and decided to go sleeveless!

For this pattern I didn't follow the directions at all, except for when I attached the neck facing.  I did omit three other things that the pattern calls for: the interfacing, the lining and the zipper in the back.  I didn't feel that the dress needed lining or interfacing because I was using a knit.  I also didn't need a zipper because the dress is stretchy enough to be pulled over my head.

This was the first time I sewed with faux leather so I looked up a few tips before trying to sew with it.  In my research, I read that "leather needles" can create holes in some fabrics and faux leathers so it's best to test out your needle using scrap fabric.  I used a leather needle and I didn't notice too much damage to the knit or the faux leather.  

I probably wouldn't make this dress again, instead I might try using the Simplicity pattern the next time I feel like making an A-line shift dress.  There were a few things I didn't like about the New Look pattern, such as the wizard sleeves and the boat neck that shows my bra straps.  I also had some fit issues in the back because of my short torso.  To fix my problem I extended the back darts up and it helped make the dress look more fitted.  I suppose part of my problem was from cutting the back on the fold instead of cutting two pieces and inserting a zipper.  In the end I made it work and the result is pleasing.

See ya next time!