Last Saturday I decided I needed something new in my wardrobe. I've had about two yards of this wood grain fabric in my stash for the last couple of months & have been meaning to do something with it, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to make a top or a skirt. So I basically made both: a sheath dress. This fabric is light-weight, stretchy, but with a surprising amount of "body" to it. The rolled details add a lot of visual interest as well as wiggle room. Wiggle room for imperfect seams. Jersey can sure be a pain in the neck to sew if you don't have a surger. Which I obviously don't have. Here's how I made this little number and how you can make one of your own:

1. Fold the fabric in half right sides together. Smooth out.
2. Lay down a dress (or fitted tee & pencil skirt) that has the cut you want. Be sure to lay the garment(s) & fabric perfectly flat. Wrinkles will mess you up.
3. Cut out the fabric including seam allowances. I did a 1/2 inch seam allowance all the way around & 3 inches at the bottom. You can always cut it if it's too long.
4. If you're adding a sleeve, make the transition from the body of the dress to the sleeve a curve.
5. Cut the back & front necklines to be the same. You'll adjust the neckline at the end.
6. My template dress was more of an a-line, so I trimmed down the fabric to go straight down instead - for more of a sheath look.
7. Sew the shoulders, and sides using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
8. Try the garment on. Make adjustments in the fit & mark the center point of where you want your front neckline to hit.
9. Take garment off & line up seams together (basically fold the front half of the dress in half). Find your marking & cut out the neckline
10. Hem the bottom, sleeves and neck as desired.
11. See the above illustration for additional info

This fabric doesn't fray so you don't need to hem it; but I did, because I liked the look better. I'll soon be hand-hemming the neckline to mimic the rolled woodgrain texture for a more finished look. I love how this fabric hides everything I want concealed but shows off my curves (I know they're little - so they need to be accentuated!). I LOVE my new dress! I think it'll make the perfect transition into fall, too. Oh yeah, I had two yards of the woodgrain fabric (it's $17 per yard), but it took just about a yard to make the dress. If you want a longer dress than 36 inches from the shoulder, you'll need more yardage. fabric courtesy of rufflefabric.com