Navy Floral Dress - Simplicity 1939

 I did a poll way back in October about what fabric I should use to make Simplicity dress 1939. This navy and yellow floral print cotton was the winner. The fabric is very lightweight (almost sheer). Conveniently, it was very easy to handle. Simplicity 1939 is a Cynthia Rowley design with a modern bohemian style. I made View C except with the sleeves from View A.
 

The dress wasn't terribly hard to make except that I had to keep flipping back and forth between the pages of instructions. View C is unlined but uses some of the steps from View A and B.... basically, it's a little confusing.

According to the instructions for View A, the sleeves are fully lined. I wasn't doing a lining for my dress so I cut some bias strips to create a facing for the sleeve hems. The sleeves were tight at the wrist so I let the sleeve seam out a little.
The neckline is bound with a bias strip that also forms a tie at the neck. The opening at the center front is pretty deep and I actually raised it an inch or two. It did not inhibit putting the dress on in any way.

The design is intended to be fitted at the waist so that the bodice flounces over the waistline for a blouson effect. I added extra length to the bodice to accommodate my long waist. The yoke of the skirt was feeling a little too tight and I didn't want it to be uncomfortable so I let the side seams out a little bit. But I think the silhouette would look better (less frumpy) to have the waist tighter. I think it could actually be solved by adding elastic to the waistline. The elastic would pull the waistline up to the waist and tighten but would be more forgiving to breathing. It probably wouldn't really matter if the yoke becomes a little gathered because it would be hidden by the blouson effect of the bodice.





It's a pretty dress and I'm looking forward to wearing it. I do recommend the pattern although be aware there is a lot of flipping back and forth through the instructions if you do view C. I'd rate the skill level required as medium. Don't do this dress as your first project. It has a lot of parts and could be frustrating. If I make it again I would do View B – full length and sleeveless in a solid color. I'd also like to try adding elastic at the waist.


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