This is the third Dartmouth Dress hack that I have completed and once again I count it as a success!

For this iteration I used 3metres of Single Border Floral/Shutter print ponte from The Textile Centre at £3.59/metre.

I cut the skirt from the main floral border leaving the shutter print for the bodice, sleeves and neckline banding. I still have approximately 70 cms remaining, sufficient to cut the front and back bodice for a raglan-sleeved top with plain Black ponte for the sleeves and neck banding. So in the final accounting I will have achieved a dress and a top for the grand sum of £10.77 – can’t be bad!

I love, love, love, sewing with ponte. It is such a stable knit and behaves almost like a woven.

I already had notes for cutting across the bodice at waist height, plus the length required for the skirt. This time, I did remember to add pockets. I used my TNT pattern so that the pocket tops are stitched into the waist seam which prevents them from flapping about too much inside the dress. The length of the skirt means that the dress can be worn with flats, heels and boots. Apart from top-stitching the band and hems, the entire dress was sewn on the overlocker. 

My only concern when making the dress was the fact that as it was a border print, the maximum stretch is actually down the length i.e. not across the bodice which is where I would have preferred. But no great shakes, it still turned out to be a comfortable garment.

For the photograph I have added my wide statement belt which has the advantage of covering the seam and helping to pull into my waist – n.b. I have now lost sufficient weight to be able to use the next hole along to buckle up. Great!