Summer Jazz Dress: Tabula Rasa

Let me start by saying I don't love this dress.  I don't hate it either, but I don't love it.  It's not an unqualified success.

It is wearable and it fits okay.  But this pattern had issues.  (Can I get an oy?) This is the Summer Jazz dress from Snapdragon Studios (they have an etsy presence, as well as an independent web store) and I used the free sleeve download to make it 3/4 length.  The fabric is some yarn-dyed Indikon from Robert Kaufman that I like but the color isn't the best for me.  My favorite color-way was a darker blue and was almost sold out; I was only able to get 2 yards, which wasn't quite enough for this dress.  

My main complaint about this dress is that it has a lot of extra ease.  As in: I could probably wear this during a whole pregnancy and have it still fit.  I made a straight size medium, and probably could have sized the bottom down to a small (what the what?  I'm a classic pear shape--this should not be true for my body).  I took the side seams in to 3/4" seam allowance, and snugged up the front elastic as much as I could to make it look better, but it still feels like there is a lot of extra fabric in the front and sides.  

The back is a bit better, with the little pleats at the waist, but it is still quite roomy.  The pocket placement was off--they are quite low.  Also: the pocket markings on the skirt pattern do not align with the actual length of the pocket pattern pieces.  That was annoying.  There were a couple of drafting issues I noticed when I was making this, and the sleeves in particular had some technical issues on the pattern pieces.  I thought some of the construction methods were a bit odd (especially for the application of bias at the neckline.  I just went ahead and applied as I usually do).  The construction of the casing for the elastic is super weird and leaves you with a pretty bulky front seam.  The construction details for this dress were a bit sparse and the diagrams were not always clear.  

I added three inches of length to the skirt pattern and it is okay.  Maybe another half inch would be good.  The sleeves fit pretty well and the dress is easy enough to put on over my head.  I don't hate the woven in-set sleeves, which surprised me.  I usually am not a fan.  I attached the sleeves flat and seamed up the whole side, which made the construction very easy.  

I'm not normally a fan of a v-neck, but I do like the shape of this one--it is subtle and the right depth.  The dress does look better with accessories like a scarf, so perhaps it is just one of those dresses that will be fine as a blank slate that I can throw other things with it.  

The fabric has a subtle texture to it that I like, and the drape and weight are nice.  I do wonder if this dress would look better in a rayon (I have some saved for spring that I may try out with this pattern, but I don't know).  I just can't decide if I like it that well.  I will wear this dress, but I'm not sure I'll make this pattern again.  I had high hopes for it, so it is disappointing to me.

Not much else to say, really.  I'm glad I made it, for the experience, and I might use some elements of this dress to redraft my Simplicity 1080 for in-set sleeves for cold-weather dresses.  It gave me some things to think about anyway.  And it is wearable.