Double Knit Sheath Dress...With Pockets

The spirit is finally moving me to post this dress, which has been complete for two or three months now. I'm wearing the dress as I write this post, but the photos are from a much brighter day earlier this fall.

I've made Vogue 8699 several times before (and at least once since)--it's a wonderful pattern for a princess seamed, cowl neck top and tunic. And, as you can see, it can easily be lengthened to make a dress.

Even though it's not particularly photogenic, I am crazy about this fabric, a knitted-in digital animal design from FabricMart. I knew from the start that this polyester double knit couldn't possibly be warm on its own, but layered with a silk tank and fleece-lined tights, it makes a great piece for cold or sloppy weather.

Though it's subtle, the design does have horizontal and vertical repeats, so I worked hard to mirror the pattern symmetrically on both sides and to cut the pockets so that the pattern would flow continuously across the upper side panel into the lower side panel. On the back, I centered the largest vertical element and mirrored the pattern on both side panels.

The big change to the pattern is the addition of the pockets. I wanted to do these the "right" way, so I pulled out another pattern with princess-seam pockets (or whatever we should call these), Simplicity 2798.

I must admit that I didn't document my steps exactly, so I can't describe them in detail, but it involved matching up the upper and lower side pieces from the Simplicity pattern with the Vogue pattern to determine where the upper side panel and the lower side panel should start and stop, and how the seamline should be modified to most smoothly incorporate the pocket. Then I used the pocket piece from the Simplicity pattern directly.

This afternoon I went to a party with a friend. Her first question was "Did you make your dress?" and her second was "Can you make me one? I want those pockets!".