After my weeks of fussing over the pink summer maxis from McCalls and BurdaStyle, I needed a quickie palate cleanser. So I threw together this striped T-shirt dress by elongating a Burda Easy boatneck T-shirt pattern from a long tunic into a below-the-knee version.
In the end, it wasn't so easy. This pattern was too rudimentary for my taste. Without a separate binding offered by Burda for the neckline, I ended up finishing the raw edge three times, twice by machine zigzag and then a third roll-over by hand to give the neckline the necessary body to stay flat against the chest and not curl over. I also finished the hem and sleeves by hand using an invisible stitch.
The dress was too big the first time I wore it, (I'd cut a 42-45) and I had to put it back under the needle and take in a good inch on both sides and also insert an open inverted pleat at the center back neckline taking in a full two inches, (a nice design feature in the end) because the 42 was just too large around my neck. Next time I would cut a 40 at the neck. I also had a bit of trouble matching up the black stripes perfectly along both sides and had to entirely rip out and restitch one side altogether.
This dark cotton knit is perfect for autumn and overall, it's just about what I wanted to throw on—a classic French sailor T-dress in a lively combo of colors for not much money from a Coupons de StPierre remnant.
