Maybe you missed my post over on Sewing By Ti about how I bought 5 new Jalie patterns. Yes, 5! I couldn't pass up the buy 3 discount that they offer on PDF's. I needed patterns for DH (which fit great by the way) and I couldn't decide on a single pattern for myself. So I didn't buy 1. I bought 2, LOL.

So today, I want to quickly talk about the Jalie 3024. Jalie 3024 is a trio of knit dresses. Bodice one is a dolman. (The reason I bought this pattern). Bodice 2 is a sleeveless scoopneck. And bodice 3 is a double crossover (front and back). With a little creativity, you could create a cross/scoop bodice that could be worn forwards or backwards. A cross front/back dolman. A scoop neck dolman. Or a cross front/back with scoop.

My original plan for this dress was to create a cross back dolman, but ALWAYS muslin first. So today, I'm sharing my muslin.

Things of note. My measurements are over bust 35. Full bust 38. waist 31. Full hip 38. By those measurements I need a V in the shoulder, W in the bust, V in the waist and T in the hip. I decided to use the V bodice, V underbust band and blended from a V waist to a T hip. Due to height, I removed 1/2" above the bust. 1" at the waist (on the skirt pattern piece) and 1" at the hip. I opted for a shorter skirt, as I know in the future, I will want to add the ruffle hem which will add length.

As I was cutting my pattern pieces, I thought about how I don't like exposed seams sitting directly under my bust. They can get itchy and also, sometimes they wick sweat to the front of my tops. TMI? Probably. But also... <eww> 😬. So rather than a single layer underbust band, I sewed it in two layers. I added 1/4" to the length measurement so that I could take a 3/8" seam allowance. That way no fabrics would get lost in the sandwiched seam.

I also added in a 1" elastic into the band. My hope was that this would make for a cute pajama that I could wear without a bra. While it is functional, I think it would be more effective if I had sewn the elastic to the seam. Also, I would need to line the front upper bodice for it to provide enough support. But I've definitely added that to my "list" of projects to try out.

Out of pure laziness, I used the binding widths for my bands. In case you didn't know, binding lengths are NOT the same as band lengths. DUH. I'll definitely be taking notes to make those smaller. I used 2" wide bands because those are my personal preference. There is NOTHING special about 2" bands. I also took a 3/8" seam allowance on the bands. That leaves me a 1/2" exposed band. This pattern intended for only 1/4" of binding to be exposed. Neither way is wrong or right.

Note, the binding pieces are all drafted so that you can easily mix and match front and backs. So for the scoop neck, you cut 2 scoop neck pieces. I of course measured them and set them to be cut on the fold. This is REALLY convenient, because then you can just cut the pieces you need without having to do any math to figure out the scoop+crossover, etc.

I did run into a problem. I don't know if I created the problem OR if it is an honest pattern issue. All of the bodice pieces are meant to be used same front and back. For what it is worth, I SHOULD have done an FBA, so maybe I caused the problem. But, my back bodice falls too far down, compared to the front. We are talking a difference of about 1/2". That isn't life threatening and when you're wearing it, you probably won't see it. But because I know it is there, I will redraw all the pattern pieces so that I will have separate front and backs. All the backs will be curved up ever so slightly to be 1/2" shorter at center back. I may or may not scoop down the center fronts. I haven't decided if I care that much.

The only thing this dress is missing is pockets. Although I think the fitted skirt may not do well with inseam pockets. I think a set of patch pockets could be a fun touch. I've already planned on 4 more versions of this dress in my head. So expect to see more of it!

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