Pretty Bird Dress

The Monthly Stitch challenge for April was “Put a Bird On It”. I picked up this fabric from JoAnn’s on clearance, but I liked it when it first came out and was debating paying full price for it, but just got luck. It’s a cotton knit fabric that I just adore.

I love the print because I’m a gardener, so anything with birds and flowers is really my cup of tea. I also love the colors. Since I’m trying to make conscious decisions about practical pieces for my wardrobe, I always ask myself when buying fabric for a particular project, “What am I going to wear this with? And what do I have that matches it?” Luckily, these (purple, pink, yellow, green) are my colors. I have a purple cardigan and a fuzzy pink shrug, both with matching shoes to go with this dress, so it was an instant staple in my wardrobe. Also, stretchy = comfortable.

A close up of the fabric

I used McCall’s M6886 for the pattern. It has only two pieces for this version, so it was a cinch to put together. This is my first knit project, so I wanted something very easy, and I got it. I think the whole thing went together in about 2 hours, cutting time included. The neck and arm holes are a little bacony, but we’ll see how I like them. I’ll put a neck band on if I think it’s necessary later.

I didn’t pre-wash my fabric, and I have some reservations about it shrinking, so I made it a size bigger than normal, but even if it doesn’t shrink up any, it will still be super comfy. I’m also the kind of person who is very conscious of when knit items, particularly skirts and dresses, get too tight, so bigger is better to me.