Mod-ratic and Quadratic "O"quations

 From 1968, the year my kid brother was born,

 A magical year in music:
http://www.musicimprint.com/livesites/musicimprint/Chart.aspx?id=C000137


Gorgeous model-turned-actress Ali MacGraw (model on the left), in Seventeen magazine:

 

Also from 1968, from Butterick:
"Misses' one-piece dress: Loose-fitting full A-line dress with front shoulder tucks has shallow or deep V-neckline. Full, full length elasticized sleeves or sleeveless. Optional self sash or purchased belt and purchased scarf.  Big thanks to Stephanie of Swoodson Village on etsy for selling me this classic pattern.

  

 Bold and geometric printed dresses in "mini" lengths that are trending

Rachel Zoe shirtdress

A dress in black and white from asos.com

I sewed with an ITY jersey with an asymmetric geometric print from fabricmart.com

Instructions
They had clear explanations coupled with the helpful diagrams provide for a frustration-free and pleasurable sewing experience. In particular, I like the instructions for forming and stitching the front pleats before the shoulders. Since I was using a knit, I omitted the facings and back zipper, which did not seem necessary if a woven was used. 


Favorite/Not-so Favorite Features
There was something about the "simple and chic" qualities about the dress that charmed me when I first saw this pattern on-line three years ago. It was sold out then and had this on my "wish-list" for two years until I was able to purchase it on etsy last year.

This is a fuss-free pattern to work with (two fronts joined at a center seam, back, and sleeves) that produces quick and gratifying results as if I sewed one of my favorite and reliable knit top patterns.

However, I would use the neck facings if I sewed the dress in a woven.

The only thing thing that I would credit more as the intended drafting of the dress style instead of a dislike is that dress is to be worn belted instead of "loose". Otherwise, the "unbelted" style would be ideal for a mom-to-be. 

 
Pattern alterations/modifications
My typical 3/4" petite adjustment at the waistline. Next time, I would skip this.

When I cut the back piece, I cut it as one piece omitting the seam allowance due to not using the back zipper.

Raised the neckline approximately 2" by extending the center front seam.

Instead of using the neckline facings, I stitched a 5/8" hem at the front and back neckline, with a slight overlap at the center front above the center front seam. To reduce "gaposis" at the neckline, I applied "fabric glue" (comes in a "gluestick" form) to the edges before pressing and stitching.

I shortened the dress 6", which ended up being 1" shorter than intended (knee-length instead above the knee). I felt assured by the fact that my dress length was still modest in comparison to what I saw trending on the web and in magazines.

I shortened the sleeves 3/4".

Due to fabric constraints, I narrowed the sleeve span folding out a 4" wedge, tapering to 0" just below the arm portion. Now come to think of it, I would perform this adjustment again for knits to reduce the potential bulk from the extra fabric before adding elastic to the sleeve hem. I like the sleeves' drape as is. 

 
Future Plans/Recommendations
Yes! If you do find this "hard-to-find" pattern on the web or elsewhere, I highly recommend it. If you want a lovely dress without investing a lot of time sewing it, then this is the dress for you.


Conclusion:
I am very glad to find a suitable fabric and the time to sew this dress.

Update: 5/4/13
Look what I found! The R & M Richardson dress from bonton.com with a print that somewhat resembles mine, except it has triangles and I have circles. It was the closest I discovered after some random on-line surfing on the net.