This new dress

With my new-found machine knitting expertise (haha) I'm going to say the fabric is a double bed jacquard knit - similar to a ponte knit in weight.Not that any technical information is necessary to appreciate its bold all-over black and white craziness.  The content is a little mysterious, but based on how it responds to the iron I'm confident that it is not a natural fibre, and based on how it stretches, that it contains no lycra.

The pattern is from the October, 2014 Burdastyle Magazine. The details are pretty well disguised.

This somewhat beefy knit is not exactly right for the pattern. The cowl, not a terribly generous one, sticks out a bit instead of draping.

The fabric also doesn't have the stretch intended by Burda for this pattern. So I cut a size 38 above the waist and 40 below, with some fit insurance (1" or 2.5cm seam allowances at the side seams). Once I had completed the neck/shoulder seams I basted it together. My quick and dirty fitting showed that I could take it in above the waist, but that I needed some of that insurance in the hips. The completed dress is figure skimming rather than stretched to cover, which I like.

As you can see at left, it needs the belt to cover for the fact that the back waist is baggy and the torso is slightly too long. And to relieve the expanse of crazy black and whiteness. Without it, the dress wears me.

This is a super easy pattern and it went together really quickly.

On to the next project! I do hope it'll be a pair of grey wool pants.