Itch to Stitch Holiday Blog Tour - Hepburn Turtleneck Dress

Today is the opening day of the Itch to Stitch Holiday Blog Tour hosted by Fleurine and Leslie, and sponsored by Style Maker Fabrics. I paired the classic Hepburn Turtleneck pattern with this luscious, black stretch velvet. I've been wanting to make a turtleneck dress for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity to make it a priority.

The Hepburn Turtleneck pattern is shirt length, with long or 3/4 length sleeve options, and it is quite form fitting. The pattern is written with negative ease (smaller than your body), I thought that might be a little too snug across the bum for my taste, so I went up a size. I did my normal grading between bust, waist, and hip sizes, but a size bigger. I'm really happy with the fit through the shoulders, and I love the super slim sleeve. To lengthen the pattern into a dress with a straight skirt, I simply dropped the hem 16", and flared it a scant 1/2" on the sides. I also added 2" to the length of the collar. All of these changes were tested out in a stretch french terry muslin first, so I could be certain of the fit before I started.

Style Maker Fabrics has a great selection of knits that would work for a dress like this. I was tempted by the sweater knits, but decided to go with something a little fancier for the holidays. The stretch velvet is the perfect fabric for this style (don't miss the other lovely colors!). The pile gives it a nice body, it has 100% stretch, and a nice drape. I used a solid 2 1/2 yards to make this dress. I relied heavily on the Seamwork Magazine Beginner's Guide to Sewing Velvet. If you've never sewn with velvet before (which I hadn't) you'll want to do a little research before you begin.

DETAILS:
Pattern: Hepburn Turtleneck from Itch to Stitch
Fabric: Stretch Velvet from Style Maker Fabrics

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GOODIES:
Itch To Stitch is offering 16% off patterns until December 11 with code HOLIDAY16!
Style Maker Fabrics is offering $5 US shipping, no coupon code needed!
Follow along with the rest of the blog tour on Leslie and Fleurine's blogs! Or on instagram #itsHolidayBlogTour. Trust me, there is some really good stuff coming this week!

ITCH TO STITCH HOLIDAY BLOG TOUR 2016

DECEMBER 6th

FA SEW LA | SWEET KM | SWEET RED POPPY

DECEMBER 7th

FAIRIES, BUBBLES & CO. | LACE & PINE DESIGNS | THREADBEAR GARMENTS

DECEMBER 8th

FRÖLEIN TILIA | NÄH-CONNECTION | PEAR BERRY LANE | SEW MARIEFLEUR

DECEMBER 9th

COOKIN' & CRAFTIN' | DANDELION DRIFT | THE SARA PROJECT | THE WILD STITCH

DECEMBER 10th

JUST ADD FABRIC | SEW CHARLESTON | STYLE MAKER FABRICS | SUNFLOWER SEAMS

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