I love tie-front dresses. Every time I see a pattern with that detail, I'm drawn to it. You can see other garments with tie-front details here.

I was inspired by this style of dress from the fabulous designer Johanna Ortiz. She creates a lot of tie-front styles in bold, audacious prints.

McCall's 8084 really fit the bill. Well... kinda sorta. You know I had to make a few modifications to make it more "me".

I cut the pattern out in a size 14. I knew I would need to add about an inch of length and make a one inch FBA.

So, I'm really into comfortable t-shirt style knit dresses. And this Style Arc Astoria Knit Dress is the perfect elevated t-shirt dress.

I cut the size 14, and lengthened the dress by 3 inches. Lengthening lines are included on the pattern pieces.

Style Arc is known for having pretty scant instructions. But this is a pretty simple dress and they included a diagram showing how the pieces are joined. 

During these uncertain times... am I the only one who is sick of that phrase? I actually laugh every time I say it or type it... I'm needing the most comfortable clothing to leave the house wearing. Since I have to wear a mask and it's getting warmer and warmer here, I need pulled back hair and lightweight comfortable clothes. I know we're still basically quarantining, but I still want to be cute. You feel me?!

This dress is True Bias Rio Ringer T-Shirt Dress. And my fabric is an Ivory and Navy Stripe Knit DTY Brushed Poly Spandex from Fabrics by the Yard.

This is a super easy pattern, with only a couple of pieces. If you've ever sewn a t-shirt, you'd have no problems sewing this. Plus, it's drafted really well and Kelli has created great instructions and sewing tips.

This pattern is drafted for someone 5'5", so I added 3" to the length. I my dress to be well above the knees.

I love the way the instructions suggest attaching the binding to the neck and sleeves. 

I've never done it that way before and it'll be my new way I do it when sewing a knit neckline.

Since the stripes are pretty large and this is a really simple design, the stripes were easy to match.

This pattern is the Sia Dress from Taree Marsh and I absolutely love it. 

I was drawn to this dress because the silhouette reminds me of McCall's 7974. But there are enough differences to justify me making this.

I cut the size 14. Her pattern has quite a bit of ease and I probably could have cut the size 12. She uses 3/8" seam allowances, except for the center back zipper installation which is 5/8"... so I just went back and stitched everything using a 5/8" and pulled the center back in a little more.

The bodice is generously drafted, so I didn't need to do a FBA. But in case you need to make a bust adjustment, she has great instructions for it. 

Her pattern is drafted for a height of 5'8", so I only needed an inch of length and I made my normal swayback adjustment.

The dress has two sleeve options, I chose the one with the sleeve ties and two to lengths. I love the midi. And it has pockets, of course!

The bodice is cut extremely low. It's open to the midriff. I closed mine up several inches so that it would still show some cleavage, but be bra-friendly.

The dress has a faux placket. You can add buttons, but I decided to leave them off. And it also has side slits.

Fabric: White Tencel Twill from Mood Fabrics.com