New Bias Cut Halter Dress!

Love my new dress! It also marks an end to months of unproductive sewing and creative fun time (I have been under a lot of stress lately!).

Kwik Sew 3308 Bias Cut Halter Dress

Of course, now that summer is over, I only have a few weeks to squeeze some wear out of it. I used Kwik Sew misses’ top pattern 3308 and made View “A”. The length was extended to make this bias cut halter dress.

Kwik Sew 3308 Pattern

The fabric was from Kirsty of Rocket Sews as part of the One Cool Thing/One Strange Thing sewing swap. The fabric was a hand-printed Australian aboriginal print fabric and I wanted to find just the right dress design for it.

I picked up the Kwik Sew 3308 pattern at the Pattern Review NYC weekend pattern swap and thought it would look cute done up in an ethnic print.

I still need to hem the dress. Because the length may grow over time due to the bias cut, I will hem it after a few days. I also need to add some buttons (still looking for the right one!).

Here is the back view.

Kwik Sew 3308 Back view of dress

Here are some pattern adjustments and tips I used to sew this dress:

1) Cut a small on top and graded to medium at the hip. Extended length by 15″ to create desired dress length.

2) Made sure I had enough fabric since this is cut on the bias. I was grateful to have enough to cut the dress. I did not have enough fabric to match the print though. It still turned out cute.

3) Experimented with various types of interfacing for the collar using a muslin. I did not want it to be too floppy nor too stiff.

4) Raised the armhole by 1-5/8″.

5) Took in side seam under arm by 1/2″ but 5″ under the armhole let seam back out for a comfortable fit.

6) Re-cut front and back facings to adjust for armhole changes. For the back facing, trimmed 1/8″ at arm to help keep the facing from showing when turning out the final piece.

7) Raised the back keyhole by 1-1/8″. Check to see if this causes any problems. I raised the keyhole too much initially and was not be able to get my head through the opening.

8) Steps 7 & 8 were a bit confusing at first. I followed the drawings and it worked out fine in the end. Be sure to fold the back of the dress so that it does not get caught in the seam while sewing the collar.

9) Hand slip-stitched the inside of the collar rather than stitching in the ditch.

10) Hung the dress for a few days before hemming to allow for any change in length.

I love this dress! It was an easy project and practically free!