Black Embossed Scuba Knit Dress

I have a love/hate relationship with scuba knit. On the one hand it's a really interesting fabric and the weight and slight insulation properties make it perfect for Texas winters. On the other hand it does not like to stay pressed and I like a crisp seam. Most of the time I stay away from buying it because of its challenges but this fabric was so unique that I had to have it.

The fabric is an embossed scuba knit and was purchased from Mood fabrics. It was sold out long ago so I can't link you to it. I actually made a pair of pants from the same fabric in March of 2015, but those had the annoying habit of not staying at my waist and were soon after donated. I loved the fabric, though, so I ordered another cut of it and vowed to make a dress of some sort. Inspiration struck when the new McCall's spring pattern were released in early January and I fell in love with the high neck version of 7539.

I liked the relative simplicity of the design and all the opportunities to topstitch. I also always love front pockets to add some volume to my top half. The neckline is high but not at all choking. This type of knit has a lot of body so it stands away from my skin and isn't restrictive. As a lot of my winter wardrobe is comprised of jeans or pants, this year I am adding some day dresses to balance it out.

Black is notoriously hard to photograph, and this fabric is no different. You can just make out the texture of the fabric in this photo. I found out - while I was making the pants from it - that ironing on the face made the embossed areas dull. Consequently I could only iron on the back side. I topstitched almost every seam save the center back where the invisible zipper was installed. Topstitching along a zipper is just not a skill that I've mastered. 

I cut the straight size 10, my typical size in patterns for stretch fabrics, and made no other adjustments for fit. I quite like how it skims the body but isn't tight fitting. The hemline is somewhat shorter then it appears on the envelope example. I'm 5'-6", and it hits a good way above my knees. I like a shorter skirt in the winter, though, especially with such a high neckline. The zipper I chose to end it right above the waist seam. That way I could topstitch my waist seam and also my center back skirt seam. 

You can see the fabric texture in the following close-ups. I topstitched my darts a little differently then the pattern instructions called for. Also I was planning to iron the waist seam down and do a single row of topstitching, but all that thickness proved too much for my machine to stitch through and it was skipping stitches left and right. That is also the reason my pockets have no pocket flaps.

I like this pattern a lot and can definitely see it in a ponte knit for summer. If I can think of a place to wear the long sleeve shorts version I'd make it as well. I think it's so cute (but maybe slightly impractical.)