Color-Blocked Tracy Reese Dress Revamp

I made this dress 6 weeks ago but wasn't quite happy with it. It was a well drafted pattern and the fit was exactly right, but I didn't feel like the proportions worked well with my body. Thanks to some helpful feedback from my readers, I decided to shorted the cropped overlay by an inch. That wasn't too terribly difficult, but I did have to stitch some things by hand that were previously machine stitched.

After that, though, I still wasn't happy with it, so I chopped 5 inches off the length. Now I love it! Sometimes I give up on things that seem like a ton more work because I completely hate altering, but I'm so glad I persevered this time.

More pictures after the jump and don't forget to tell me what you think!

Plaid + Black Color-Blocked Tracy Reese Knit Dress

This dress has now been updated!

The color blocking trend is alive and well. In fact, I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to it. To me, color blocking is using two or more of the same type and weight of fabrics in the same garment. Not to be confused with mixed materials, which is two or more different types of materials used in the same garment. (Of which I also have a Pinterest board for.) This silhouette - cropped top over midi skirt - seams to be a current favorite, and is a look I wanted to try out.

McCall's 6844 - Cobalt blue geometric printed cardigan

I have this (slightly ratty) fleece jacket that I wear constantly around my house during the winter. It's warm but not too bulky and is just the perfect thing to ward off any indoor chill. Of course it never gets worn out and about because it's a weird color and doesn't match anything. And I have some really great outer wear that I like to wear. All this to say - I've decided to replace it with several pieces of similar weight and warmth that are hopefully more chic and not so dowdy.

I picked up this textural geometric novelty knit from Moodfabrics.com. I'm always on the lookout for interesting textures and I loved the colorway. Cobalt blue is probably my next favorite color next to yellow. I got it in the spring I think and it's now completely sold out. They do have a yellow colorway that is lovely and still available, and I had a hard time deciding between the two.

The pattern I chose is McCall's 6844, one of patternreview.com's best patterns of 2013, and it's been reviewed about a million times. It's a nice and simple pattern, great especially if you have a somewhat busy print. I really like the fact that it has some shape to it and isn't too voluminous. I cut the size small but sewed 3/8" seam allowances for the vertical sleeve seam and side seams. The sleeves were a bit tight when I first stitched them at 5/8".

I had a bit of a panic when I was cutting out the fabric. Because of my uneven print I did not have enough to cut out the collar with horizontal stripes. Of course this predicament is never noticed by me until half the pieces are cut out. The collar had to be cut on the cross grain, but I quite like how it turned out.

I matched up the stripes across the sleeves and at the side seams. I also ignored the 5/8" hem called for in the directions and put in a 1.25" hem by hand. All interior seams and edges were finished with my machine's overlock stitch.

This was a fun and relatively quick project, and I'll definitely be using the pattern again soon. (Maybe in a grey sweaterknit with leather sleeves? Hmmm..)