Navy Nancy Raglan Dress

At one point I decided that I really wanted a raglan shirt pattern. Many indie designers that I follow and like have one, so I needed to decide which one I wanted. I ended up deciding on the Nancy Raglan pattern from 5 out of 4 Patterns because it has a shirt, dress and maternity option. I'm not planning on getting pregnant for at least a few years, but I'm a huge fan of forward thinking. One thing I like about 5 out of 4 patterns is that they are drafted for a 5'8" woman, so it fits me nicely without needing as much length added.

I've always liked how t-shirt dresses look, but I have never found one in a store that looks good on my. If they fit my hips at all, there is no way that they will fit my waist and bust, and they don't generally looks good when they're really tight around the hips. One on the dress options for the Nancy Raglan is an a-line dress, so I decided to make an a-line t-shirt dress. The fabric I found in the discount knit section of Fabricville, and when I brought it to the cutting table the girl behind it was like "Wow, great find!". As soon as I made the dress I regretted not buying more because I didn't find anything wrong with it, and it was really soft and easy to sew with.

This dress came together really quickly, and it was all assembled on my serger. I love my serger more and more with every project. I made one funny mistake: I sewed the shoulders together fine, but then when I started sewing the sides, I sewed them inside out. I just cut off the seam and re-sewed it, but it was a lesson learned in rushing. I might try a less a-line variation of the dress, and try using the pattern for a crop-top. I already have a off-white long-sleeved version cut out, and I'm toying with the idea of making it in orange as well (exact same fabric and price, just a different colour).

Details

Pattern: 5 out of 4 Nancy Raglan
Material: A lovely discount knit from Fabricville for $3/m
Modifications: Added an inch in length. I used medium for the shoulders and arms, then small for my bust and waist, then up to a large for my hips.
Learning: Raglans are super easy!

Andrew's pose suggestion

The look I give Andrew on a very regular basis