Easy Kimono Dress (Pattern Runway)

I’ve completed my first dress for 2014: Pattern Runway’s Easy Kimono Dress! A little misleading, perhaps, since I began working on it in December. I first made a test piece of the top and then I spent about an hour cutting out the real fabric and ironing the interfacing.

I started sewing it on January 1 (and finished it on January 2). In total, it probably took me about 8 hours. It would have taken less time if I didn’t have such trouble with the rouleau band. I could not, for the life of me, flip it right-side out. It seemed to be too narrow to do it. The suggested way (using needle and thread) was no help at all, and the other way I tried was taking too long and then I couldn’t flip it all the way. Argh! So I ended up making a new rouleau band, slightly wider, and used a knitting needle to flip. And it took no time at all!

I’ve discovered I’m not really a fan of hemming, but it has to be done.

In the end, I was happy with the work I did: neat, clean, and well done (in my humble opinion), but I just don’t like the way it looks on me. I even tried it with a belt so it would cover up the seam between top and bottom and also pull it in at the waist a little more, but I still didn’t like it. I think it’s too boxy at the top for me. I felt like I was wearing a hospital gown or something. Maybe it’s just my body shape…

I think it looks great on the hanger, though!

I love the color and the material (Milos stretch poplin royal blue—the picture is slightly misleading as it’s a bit darker in real life). It’s a thinner material, so it would definitely be for warmer weather. But it has a nice stretch. However, it also seems to be easy to wrinkle but I’ve learned it’s easy enough to iron!

I have material left over, enough to make something else, so I’d like to use it for something else. Suggestions?