Charcoal Lady Skater Hack

Remember selfish sewing week? When I started making this dress I THOUGHT I was getting a head start on selfish sewing (hysterical laughter). Truth is all of my recent sewing, and the focused satisfaction it brings me, feels entirely selfish these days, even when the finished product is meant for the kids. Its seems superfluous to layer on a few things made for me, but I can't resist the siren song of the internet, beaconing me to another group sewing event, even if I've missed said event by a mile.

I have been obsessed with making a knit, gathered waist, long sleeve dress since seeing it in a random Etsy motivational email. It was worn by a random Etsy employee in hunter green. So trite, so new, so my thing. She was sitting down, it was not fashion centric shot, but I was smitten. In fact, when I first saw it I hadn't sewn seriously for myself in years. I like to think my quest to own that dress (without actually shopping for it) is what got me sewing for myself again.  

More than a year later, I have a passable copy of that dress. I'm calling this a Lady Skater hack, because I started with the Kitschy Coo Lady Skater bodice. There were a lot of changes along the way. I chopped a good deal off of the length, and straightened out the curved waist. I lengthened the sleeves to be long without the addition of cuffs, and made the neckline higher and wider (and more what this flat chested lady likes to wear). Learning from my past mistakes  imperfections I made a straight 6, and added pockets (without pockets where do I keep my phone, without my phone how do I check instagram the time). The skirt is my much loved Self Drafted Midi Skirt from a few months ago. Same everything, just tacked onto the bodice rather than a waistband.

The deep charcoal gray heather fabric is a cotton jersey from Mood, it seems far to resilient to be 100% cotton, though I bought it so long ago I can't remember. It's perfect for this dress. My last Lady Skater shrunk like a son of a gun (making it fit better, bonus!), so I'm going to try to keep this one out of the dryer.

I am going to wear the crap out of this dress. It's comfy, it's practical, it can be layered with a thousand different things, and I don't think I own a pair of shoes that wouldn't look good with it. I'm going to get out my fattest sharpie, and cross this thing off of my must-sew list.

There, now I can move on.