Thanks guys!
It’s a cotton jersey fabric, so it’s stretchy, I just pull it over my head. I’m not really a fan of working with knit fabric but it was a good choice for this type of dress.
I’ve found that there are a few basic styles of clothing that I’m always drawn to, regardless of current fashion. So I’ve slowly drafted good “basics” for them and my plan is to make this one again in the future. Drafting a whole dress takes me almost as long as sewing one, but the pattern can be re-used and it’s easy to change details like sleeves, necklines and skirt length. A completely different fabric changes the look as well. It doesn’t usually matter if your weight fluctuates a bit because your body size doesn’t typically change, it’s easy to adapt the pattern. Your waist circumference might change but things like the length of your back don’t.
Another good basic I’ve drafted is the one I posted about in this thread: What’s your sewing method? I’m currently on the hunt for fabric to make it for the third time - I’ve got one with long sleeves and one with elbow-length sleeves, now I want a short sleeved version from a nice punta di roma (a classic little black dress).
@Tapestry Pattern drafting is fun! There are many different methods, they do all require some math. It’s quite technical, but you do learn so much about garment construction. It’s fairly easy to learn how to draft a skirt, bodices and sleeves are more complicated.