My first attempt at this pattern was with some brownish black fabric, 85% rayon, 15% linen, from Fancy Tiger Crafts. I paid $12 per yard for 3 yards. This fabric, Brussels Washer Linen by Robert Kaufman, is now $10 per yard. It sews well, but left a lot of black fuzz in the dryer lint catcher. The fabric is a bit fuzzy, but light with a little drape. The finished jumper still leaves a little fuzz in the dryer, needs ironing and frays (more comments on the fraying later). The teal skirt I just made is a viscose/linen blend that has a more expensive feel to it. JoAnn Fabrics sells that in lots of colors, so I would buy that over this.
In the size 14 in the New Look pattern 6572, adding a fraction of an inch on each side along the hip, since the body measurement for 14 is 38", this first version is big in the top and generous in the hips. However, laying the body pieces out side by side in this 52" fabric, only used 2 yards of it, with enough left for a skirt! The fusible interfacing, which, though featherweight, seems too stiff. It may soften up after washing. Note: the inside is a disaster after washing. The facings fray terribly even after zig zag stitching the edge and they flip forward even after under stitching and after sewing the facings to the shoulder and armhole seams.
The side patch pockets with flaps require more effort than in-seam pockets, but they do add a cargo pocket look to the dress. It is a plain jumper, so it needs a little something. The pockets were placed a little higher than the pattern specs, about 13" below the armhole. That puts them below the widest part of the hip but high enough to reach the bottom easily. The pattern has the top of the pocket stitched on the sides and folded over, standard construction for a patch pocket. Instead, it should be top stitched down--just turning it down is not enough to keep it straight. The flaps work ok, though.
This first jumper is blind hemmed at maxi length, ending just above my ankle. It is quite warm and comfortable. After washing, it has more drape and looks good. I wish there was some way to hide the frayed edges of the facings. A fully lined top would work, but maybe a serger would help.
Although the 14 top fits well, the armholes are a bit too big. If the fabric is more than 45" wide, I could probably do it with 1 1/2 yards. Side seam pockets would be nice, if fabric allows. Possibilities are the flannel, the corduroy, the linens, the cottons.
The second version of this pattern was made with 1 1/3 yards of 55" Tan Leaf Print linen, (179215869) purchased at the Santa Fe JoAnn for $11. Again, it is a size 14 in the top and graded to between the 14 and 16 in the hips. Cut at mid-length B, it is plenty long enough and allows for a back vent. In cutting the armholes I followed the size 16 cutting lines to try to make them smaller but all that did was make the shoulders too wide. It took the reducing the shoulder seams by 1/2" (1" total) and recutting the armholes to a size that looked good without a seam allowance and adding darts to the armhole to get close to fitting.
The seam allowance needed to be eliminated because the neck and armholes were bound with bias binding cut from the Elizabeth Suzann black cotton poplin. The poplin made a lousy skirt but is great for bias binding. There was just enough fabric left to cut slightly smaller side pockets but not enough for flaps. To compensate, the tops of the pockets were bound with the contrasting bias binding. There was enough length for a 2". This is a big success.
Since I made this, I have made a silk top that looks good with it and shows off the contrasting binding better. Yesterday, I wore the jumper without a shirt on a shopping trip to Taos and was happy when a shop clerk complimented it. I was especially pleased by her surprised reaction when I told her I made it!
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