Ottobre 5.2015 #8 "Solid and Striped"

Don't let that moiré pattern make you dizzy!

This dress began with a micro-striped jersey that just seemed to be meant for a raglan or a style with a somewhat similar sleeve. This top in my Ottobre library was the easy winner. The saddle shoulder avoids the dart from neck to shoulder that raglans generally have. 

Although the top could have just been lengthened and the width at the hip adjusted to fit fairly easily, there was a variation of this basic pattern in the same magazine that was a long cardigan with a shaped center back seam. Ottobre collections are often like this, which makes it easy to mix and match the features of related garments to make exactly what you want. 

Combining the two views made my design changes even easier with the added benefit that my dress has the refinement of a little shaping in the back. It makes the dress just a tad less tent-like than what it would have been without the seam. I also shortened the sleeves so they would be elbow length.

Since the stripe in this fabric was so tiny, I didn't make any effort to match across the center back seam.

showing the basic sleeve shape

Here are some views of the shoulder seams. I thought that years ago these saddle shoulders were also called "magyar", but when I google that term now, I don't see this style at all. 

The fabric has two layers to it, giving it a bit more heft and making it better for this simple dress than thin jersey.

I like this a lot! Soft, cozy, comfortable to wear. It pairs well with the Burda jean jacket I made last month. The two understated and neutral patterns look kind of playful together.