I've had a fear of sewing with fine knits for ages, but decided to conquer that fear recently by sewing up this striped dress. The fabric is a fine navy and white jersey knit that I was lucky enough to find at the op-shop in one long length. I took a risk and just cut into it with no pattern, and I'm pretty pleased with the result. Having said that, I hope noone examines it too closely because some of the stitches are on the wayward side, and I'm not sure that all the stripes match up, but I don't really mind about that since it's for me to wear.
If you're thinking of making your own jersey dress here is a (very rough) guide to how I made mine:
I cut out two very roomy pieces- a front and a back as though I was making a very large and long singlet. The front piece was a few inches wider than the back. From the leftover pieces, I cut three long strips on the bias (about 2" wide). For sewing the jersey, I used a fine (and brand new- important!) 'jersey needle' on the machine, and fine polyester/cotton thread, as well as a fairly long stitch setting on the machine. Next I sewed the shoulder and side seams, pressed the bias strips and used them to trim the armholes. Then I used shirring elastic to gather in the front, then applied the last bias strip to sew the neckline. Lastly I pulled in the dress with some more rounds of shirring above the waistline and hemmed the whole thing.
With a slip underneath (also quite important because of the cling-factor) and a red cardigan over the top, I'm happy with my 'it-must-be-nearly-spring' dress.
I hope you are doing well and have a nice weekend planned. What are you up to? I am planning a winter walk on the beach, a spot of knitting and perhaps finishing reading this book to the kids (one long session and we should be able to get to the end.)
tiny happy 
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