My love of denim is well documented (I designed the Genoa Tote around the fabric!) and this denim ponte dress has already become a firm favourite since it’s inception four months ago.

July:

• Denim ponte purchased

August:

• Pattern mash-up undertaken (more on that later)
• Dress cut and sewn
• Dress worn three times – to a funeral, a 70th birthday and a dinner!
• Dress first appeared on Instagram
• Blog photo shoot attempt one aborted due to gale force winds and glare at St Kilda Beach

September:

• Dress waited patiently in my wardrobe while I holidayed

October:

• Blog photos taken and another Instagram sneak peek

November:

• Dress made a third Instagram appearance
• Dress is finally blogged

The pattern is a mash-up of McCalls 7059 (View D), which I’ve sewn with great success twice before, and the skirt of the Karl Dress by Schneidernmeistern.  I love my red Karl Dress, but I rather than remake the exact same pattern, I was interested in sewing a similar dress that was slightly more fitted and included a round neckline.

When I place the McCalls pattern over the top of the Karl Dress I was surprised by how closely they matched.  The McCalls top has a 5/8″ (1.5cm) seam allowance, whereas Karl has 3/8″ (1cm) seam allowance, and it was this difference that facilitated the change in fit I was after.  As far as mash-ups go, this one was oh so easy!

Apart from the pattern mash-up, I graded out a size in the bust on both the front and back pattern pieces, I performed a 1cm forward shoulder adjustment and reduced the width of the neckband.  The forward shoulder adjustment has become a standard alteration for me to accommodate my rounded shoulders.  The adjustment moves the angle of the shoulder seam forward (you take a wedge of fabric from the front and add it to the back) so that it sits on your shoulder bone.

The neckband and hems were all secured with a twin needle… which is near impossible to see as my thread matched perfectly!

A finally, the demin ponte… well it was a dream to cut, sew and wear.  I purchased the fabric from The Cloth Shop in Ivanhoe in July and it was delivered one day and it was gone the next… all thanks to the power of Instragram!

So tell me…

• Do you blend patterns together?
• Does the thought of denim ponte send you into a frenzy?
• Are you as far behind in your blogging as me?

Pattern:  A mash-up of McCalls 5079 (View B) and the Karl Dress
Size:  McCalls 7059 – 10 graded to a 12 at the bust.  Karl Dress – 36 in the skirt
Fabric:  Ponte from The Cloth Shop (long sold out)
Alterations:  3/8″ (1cm) forward shoulder adjustment, graded out a size in the bust on both the front and back pattern pieces and reduced the width of the neckband.
Accessories:  Scarf from Scarlet Jones and boots from Florsheim
Photo Location:  Creswick