Happy Monday! Taking a small departure from #sewfancypants to throw my hat in the ring for #sewtwistsandties by sharing my Ruska Knot Dress. This is another pattern included in the book Breaking the Pattern written by the ladies of Named Clothing. The Kaste Dress is what convinced me to buy the book, but projects like this Ruska Dress make me want to try everything.
Fabric
Back in December, I was fortunate to work with the ladies of Merritt Makes to share my Archer Button Up. When they asked me if I’d like to collaborate again and use some of their new sweater knit, I happily agreed. I had swatches of the fabric (they offer free swatches if you just ask), and knew it was something I’d like to use. This fabric was provided to me, but I also purchased 1.5 yards of another color to make a Nikko Top because it’s that good (see the Nikko I made in this post). The combination of rayon/modal/cotton/spandex in this sweater knit makes it feel lightweight and cozy all at the same time. The weight is perfect for a layering piece like a Nikko or even a t-shirt during transitional months. For this dress, I chose the charcoal color, and it’s opaque enough that I don’t feel a need to wear any type of slip underneath. Honestly, I should have bought a couple yards of each color because I’ve worn my Nikko in the mink color at least 3 times a week for the last 2 weeks and this dress for the last two days. In short, I’m a fan.
Preparation and Alterations
In general, I prefer the convenience of PDF patterns to paper patterns or books but, when a book includes so many beautiful options, I have to concede. A sweet former co-worker of mine introduced me to Pellon 830 or Easy Pattern years ago and it’s become my go-to for tracing patterns. It’s more durable than tracing paper, can be sewn (I often baste it together to check fit before cutting main fabric), and even ironed on a low setting when my pieces inevitably become crumpled due to my poor pattern organization. If I’ve convinced you to give it a try it’s usually available at JoAnn Fabrics and on Amazon.
I spent an evening tracing the 5 pattern pieces and cutting fabric. Like most people, I’m not a straight size and had to do a little bit of grading. I used a size 2 at the bust, graded to a 4 at the waist, and a 5 at the hips. I also added 4 inches to the length, but after trying on the nearly completed dress, decided to cut off 3 of those extra inches before hemming. Lesson learned. Next time I’ll just add 1 inch to the length. Other than minor grading and adding some length, my only other alteration was to use the long sleeves instead of the short sleeve length.
Construction
Unfortunately, I never quite keep an accurate count of the time spent on construction due to the regular disruptions that come with sewing and parenting at the same time. Nevertheless, I do know that this was a fairly straightforward and quick sew. I spent one evening constructing the dress and part of an afternoon hemming it. The trickiest part of construction was hemming the ties, but I pressed them well, used lots of pins and took my time with the double needle. As long as you’re not trying the rush the process, I think success can be yours. To sew the seams, I just used the lightning stitch on my regular machine. I then pressed them open and finished all the raw edges with my serger. Since this is a knit, finishing the edges isn’t necessary and you can complete this project without a serger. Adding twill tape at the shoulder seams provided necessary stabilization and was much easier than the clear elastic often recommended for the same purpose. Constructing this dress was a breath of fresh air in the middle of this month’s pants frenzy, a reminder that mixing things up once in a while is a welcome idea.
The Why Behind Making the Ruska Dress
When planning this dress, I had a date night outfit in mind. I don’t own a basic black dress and wanted something that was simultaneously comfortable, simple, and sexy. My day to day look includes little to no makeup, a top knot, and a simple top and pants. It’s rare these days that I get a chance to dress up and feel like an adult apart from my role as a mother. Earlier this month, my husband turned 28 and I wanted something extra special to wear for going out.
My husband’s birthday is always an extra special occasion because it also marks the anniversary of the first time we spent time together outside of school classes. Twelve years ago, he left his own 16th birthday party to come hang out with me and my friends at a high school basketball game. Afterwards, we went to Wendy’s where we got chased out of the restaurant after Marshall (my husband) and a couple of his friends attempted to go through the drive through with a shopping cart. We got in our respective cars and regrouped at Burger King before deciding that maybe we should go home before getting into any more trouble. I still remember going home that night and giggling with my sister Amanda and friend Teisha about this goofy boy that got us kicked out of Wendy’s. I’m sitting here smiling at the memory of my 15 year old self slowly falling for the boy who wooed me by knowing the nickname of Iowa (I moved to Utah from Iowa at 15) and left his birthday party to spend time with my friends and me.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, I’m unsure of what to say that hasn’t already been said. This sweater knit and the Ruska Knot Dress seem destined for one another and I don’t want to ever take this off (currently wearing it as I type). Perhaps this spring or summer I’ll even find the time to whip up a short sleeve version of this dress. It would look equally lovely in the marine or oxblood colors of this knit also available from Merritt Makes. The fit, fabric, and design are exactly what I was looking for and, while not 100% perfect, I don’t think there’s anything I’d change.
Thanks for reading! Leaving you with a photo that’s a more accurate representation of what taking blog photos usually entails.