Jungle Green Portfolio

 

I know I said that my first Portfolio dress would be my most loved make of 2018, but it's already been replaced.  By my second Portfolio dress.
I got it in my head to make a short-sleeved version in green linen, and was planning to buy some of this vibrant emerald-colored yardage from FabricMart when it next went on sale.  But then I remembered that I had a cut of 50" wide linen/viscose/elastane crepe woven fabric purchased last July.   It's not emerald green but it has a fantastic drape and I love the color, plus stash-busting.  None of these photos capture the color accurately - it's a couple shades deeper and is unmistakably green.  Incidentally, I believe the fabric was used for this skirt, currently going for $450 at Neiman Marcus.  I still have a bit over a yard left of the cut and will need to think of a good use for it, as it is really lovely.

This dress is much the same as my last one, with a few different fitting adjustments due to the stretch fabric and short sleeves:

•  I sewed the side seams at the prescribed 5/8" instead of taking a smaller seam as I did last time.

• I straightened out the side seams somewhat by taking a wedge off, starting at the hemline and tapering to nothing at the widest part of my hips.  

• I sewed the top of the neckband at a 1" seam allowance this time to lower it 3/8".  I like the depth of the neckline now, but I do find it just a touch wide, and would like to widen the shoulders a smidge to bring the neckline in towards center front.

• I partially undid my original 1/2" forward shoulder adjustment by moving the shoulder seam back to its original position at the neckline, but keeping the adjustment at the sleeve hem.  Looking at these photos, though, I don't think I need the adjustment at all, which is weird, as I ALWAYS need a forward shoulder adjustment.

• I found the short sleeves to be too floppy, so I took in the shoulder 5/8" at the hem, tapering to nothing at the neckline. This reversed the full bicep adjustment I had done on my first Portfolio; I guess I only need the extra room if I'm making the long-sleeved version.

• I had a lot of excess fabric above the bust, a couple inches in from the armpit, so I ended up taking two fish-eye darts in that area above the bust.  

I don't like the way the cuffs look on the short-sleeved view, so I left them off.  I tried to finish the sleeve hems with store-bought bias tape, but they jutted out strangely at the top.  I ended up folding the hems under 1/4" and then another 1/2" and stitching.  That worked pretty well, though there is still a bit of flippiness at the top of the hem that I'd like to remove before I make the dress again.

I've realized lately that while everyone seems to love pockets, I'm not a huge pocket fan.  I mean, they're handy to have, but in lightweight dresses and skirt, I find that when I actually put something in my pockets, it weighs down the garment.  In this dress, maybe because the neckline is still a touch big on me, I find that the dress shifts across my shoulders in the direction of the pocket containing my keys or phone or whatever.  This annoys me enough that I prefer to only keep tissues in my pocket.  That said, I definitely love the look of these pockets and will keep sewing them in future versions.

I wore this all day during a mid-April visit to Colonial Williamsburg in 80-degree (and humid) weather.  It was the perfect choice for the weather and the venue. All of these photos were taken during our trip, hence the wrinkles.

I now find myself wanting to make all the dresses, particularly if they don't have a waist seam.  I used to wear dresses all the time pre-kids, but while I was in the nursing trenches they weren't a practical choice for me.  I stopped buying them, and when I began sewing, I didn't often make them.  I've been wearing skirts and tops in the summer nearly exclusively for the last few years.  But when the weather turned humid in Williamsburg, I was very glad not to have a waist seam across my middle.  This dress kept me cool throughout,  I felt very put-together, yet casual and comfortable.

I also liked that this dress was easy to layer under a cardigan, which is how I wore it to dinner that evening.  I don't have any cardigans that fit well over the sleeves of my other Portfolio dress.

As always, thanks for reading, and see you next time!