The Perfect Sweater Dress, DIY Style Simplcity #8982

I’m a little late to the DIY party for this dress, hey but better late than never! This Simplicity 8982 knit dress was the pattern for the SewYourView November make. I finished it November 30, but I’m just getting around to posting pictures of this fantastic must-sew pattern.

The dress is sewn from a rich black sweater knit from Fabric Mart Fabrics. It’s close to being fully opaque, but I added a shear black mesh knit, from Joann’s, to line it for my sanity. It’s a power mesh performance knit, but very useful for this purpose. I used View A as my base, but with an altered View C sleeve.

Technically, it’s an easy make. But you know me, I had to put my spin on it.

Construction & Alterations

1. The sleeves (from View C) were lengthened to meet the top of my wrist allowing me to completely eliminate the cuff. A simple elastic within a casing was done instead to finish the sleeve.
2. The waist was widened. Note: I did this because I am not very curvy so tight fitting clothes don’t always flatter my slim build. To circumvent this, a drawstring waist with a small bit of bagging was done which creates an illusion. Because the actual waist line isn’t visible, you’re left to imagine where it is.
3. A drawstring was added around the waist. I used a black cording that was knotted at the end, then frayed to create a fluffy tassel. I created a casing by stitching completely around the waist with two separate stitches about 1 1/4″ apart. Two buttonholes were sewn about 1″ apart, at the center front line, in between those two lines of stitches. This allowed me to insert the corded drawstring in between the lining and the sweater knit.
4. As mentioned above, I added a mesh lining from Joann Fabrics to just the bodice and skirt, not to the sleeves. I set the sleeves into the lining and sweater knit combo then serged them all together.
5. Hemming was done just below the knee. I took an additional 1 1/2″ – 2″ off each side from the bottom hem gradually tapering into side seam about 6″ – 7″ above to achieve a more fitted but walkable look.

Styling – #OOTD

I’ll probably wear this DIY look tons because it’s a solid core piece that can be as dressy or corporate-wear as you want it to be.

1. Here I’ve paired it with a pair of matte gold earrings from Nordstrom rack.
2. Shoes are from TheRealReal, Stuart Weitzman heels.

This dress is a part of my fall/winter sewing that has a focus on neutral colors…as I am the self-described Queen of Neutrals. Lol. Everything will be sewn from a neutral color palette: black, beige, white, denim…and a dash of mustard for color.

As for this pattern, it’s a definite winner! You just can’t go wrong with it. I already have a rich red sweater knit on tap for it. Anyone else into neutrals like me?