The Sciencey Dress: Simplicity 2444

It's almost time for Mehetabel to head back to the classroom, and that means finally putting the finishing touches on another novelty-print dress.  

I found this fabric last spring at Mill End Fabrics in Portland, Oregon, and I knew Mehetabel would love it as she was co-teaching freshman science at the time (as well as teaching her special education caseload).  

Well, I almost had it finished in time for the end of school, but then the zipper broke!  Drat.  It took me all summer to get around to replacing it.  Now that I have, Mehetabel is excited to wear it to class, even though she isn't teaching science this trimester--she's sticking with special education and co-teaching sophomore English.

The fabric is called "Chromatics by Melissa McCulloch Designs for In the Beginning Fabrics 2015."  It is a quilting cotton, so to give it more body, I underlined it with batiste.  Of course I did.  I almost always underline fabric it seems!

The pattern is Simplicity 2444, one of Mehetabel's favorites, and I've made it for her a number of times--and I'll probably make it more times too!  As I have with all but my first version of this pattern, I used facing pieces I drafted rather than the bias strip finish used in the instructions.  The facing pieces (1 back, 1 front neckline/armscye) were interfaced, the edges were finished on the serger, and about 1/8" was trimmed from the neck and armscyes prior to sewing; this helps keep the facings from rolling to the right side of the the dress.  The facings were then hand-sewn to the underlining.

I used a white invisible zipper.  Twice.  The first one was kaput.  I don't mind installing zippers, but I draw the line at sewing them in more than once after the dress is completed!  The hem was hand-sewn.

Mehetabel told me the dress is perfect.  Yay!  It also goes well with her hot pink accessories--

 --as well as her new hot pink pencils all ready for the classroom in her "I've got to be moi" mug! 

 TTFN!