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SewGoth

Los Angeles, 85° Winter: Seamwork Benning

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a wall covered in vine. She wears a black V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Benning Dress, Black Version

I always sing the praises of winter in Los Angeles. The air gets crisp, temperatures range between the 50s and low 70s, and the sun shines. I love Los Angeles winters because they are the right amount of cold; I can handle it without all the hassles of real frigid weather—multiple layers, heavy coats, pants, snowshoes. So I feel personally slighted when the weather hit the high 80s this week. After so many weeks of nice, cool weather, I feel naked without leggings under my skirts and long cardigans paired with scarves.

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a white garage door. She wears a black and white polka dot V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Benning, Polka Dot Version

I know that I should stop complaining while other parts of the country are fighting below freezing temperatures. Instead, I will take this as an opportunity to debut the Seamwork Benning Dress on the blog. I sewed two Bennings back in May of last year, but I just did not feel like sharing. It is now time to introduce the dresses to society. 

The Pattern

Image of the front and back of the Seamwork Benning line drawing
Seamwork Benning Line Drawing

The Seamwork Benning is a V-neckline dress with a two-tiered skirt. The waist sits about 2” above the waist. The two tiers are gathered below, and the skirt hits mid-shin. The sleeves are cut as part of the bodice, so no setting in sleeves! The dress has a relaxed fit with no closures. The pattern is meant for light or medium-weight woven fabric.

Size

Image of the size chart for Misses range
Misses Size Chart
Image of the size chart for Curvy range
Curvy Size Chart

The greatest advantage of sticking with a pattern company is knowing what your size is. I have sewed enough Seamwork patterns to know that I fall between a 14 and 16 with a lot of modifications. This time, I chose to print the Curvy version of the pattern. I started with a size 14 but ended with a size 16.

Fabric

Image of a chart with fabric requirements
Fabric Requirements

Last year, I purchased 10 years of black lightweight rayon from Wholesale Fabric Direct to use when sewing muslins. The yard was pretty cheap–about $5, so Sea the house. I have used this fabric to make a variety of wearable muslins, and apart from being see-through (gotta wear a slip under it) and very prone to wrinkling, it looks and drapes beautifully. My first Benning was made with this black rayon.

Image of black and white polka dot rayon fabric.
Black and White Polka Dot Rayon Fabric

The second version was made with rayon I bought back home a few years ago. I had so much of it I was able to sew a Seamwork Georgia and a Benning. It is also a bit see-through, and it also wrinkles like crazy, but because the pattern is quite busy, I don’t need a slip, and the wrinkles go unnoticed. It is a little heavier than the black rayon, but it also hangs very nicely.

Modifications

The Modified Benning

I am used to having to make modifications with any pattern, so it was no surprise when I had to make some significant changes to the bodice. The muslin I made with some cheap polyester taught me the following: 1. The shoulder seams were really far back; 2. The gathered skirt was, well, too gathered; 3. I did not care for the bottom skirt. Making a muslin is one of the most annoying yet essential steps in sewing. I sew muslins begrudgingly, but I do it because I’d rather waste cheap polyester than priceless Brazilian rayon.

Shoulder Seams

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a wall covered in vine. She wears a black V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
You looking at my shoulder seams?

The muslin showed that the shoulder seams were way too far back on my shoulders. I adjusted them by moving the seam forward. This is really simple to do:

  1. Decide how much forward (or backward) you want the seam to move.
  2. Add that much to the back seam.
  3. Remove the same amount from the front seam.
  4. Add a notch for good measure.
  5. True the seams (put them together as though you were going to sew them).

And you are done! You will have to modify the neck facing in the same way you did with the bodice. Easy peasy!

Skirt

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a wall covered in vine. She wears a black V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Skirt Gathers

The most obvious change I made to the pattern was doing away with the last tier. I am not a long garment fan; I like my skirts and dresses to hit anywhere from mid-thigh (for when I am feeling sassy) to below the knee (for when I need to go to work). I should sew a third version with the bottom tier, though, just to see how it looks. If I don’t like it, all I have to do is remove it.

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a wall covered in vine. She wears a black and white polka dot V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Subtle Gathers

I also removed a lot of the gathering from the skirt. Gathers bother me. Too many, and any dress looks like a mumu on me. I have nothing against mumus; I just don’t want to end with one unintentionally. Too few, and it just looks like puckering fabric. I think I got just the right amount of gathers.

Neckline

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a wall covered in vine. She wears a black V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
The Raised V-Neck

I have a cleavage problem. Whenever I am sewing with the intention of wearing the finished garment to work, I need to consider the neckline. Any bend forward motion can cause a wardrobe malfunction. This is why, just by looking at the model wearing the Benning, I knew I would have to raise the neckline. 

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a wall covered in vine. She wears a black and white polka dot V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
The Even More Raised V-Neck

For the black one, I used the neckline for a size 14. For the polka-dotted version, I raised the size 14 neckline by another inch. This also meant that I had to redraw the neck facing. 

When you change the neckline, make sure to modify the neck facings.

Sleeves

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a white garage door. She wears a black and white polka dot V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Sleeves, Front

The black version of the dress has the original size 16 sleeves. They feel pretty good, but I wanted them to be more tailored. For the polka-dotted one, I raised the armscye by ¾ inch.

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a white garage door with her back to the camera. She wears a black and white polka dot V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Sleeves, Back

I think I might have overfitted it. The shoulder seams roll backward as the day goes by, and I think it is because the sleeve opening is too small. I will make sure to go back to the original size 16 sleeve once I sew another Benning.

Construction

V-Neckline

Detail image of a black V-neck against a white background.
Black V-Neck

This is a very simple dress to sew. There are no sleeves to set in or closures to worry about. The most difficult part is getting the V-neck right. 

Detail image of the outside of a polka-dotted V-neckline.
V-neckline, Outside

When sewing the V-neck, make sure that you have marked the seam allowances on both sides of the V. Then, make sure to clearly mark the point where the two lines intersect–the bottom of the V. When it is time to sew, go very slowly. If you think you will overshoot the mark, just reduce your stitch length. This will allow you to be a lot more precise. And if it all else fails, unpick! 

Detail image of the inside of a polka-dotted V-neckline.
V-neckline, Inside

Once you have sewn the V-neckline, you can reinforce the V. Then, clip close to the V—but be mindful not to clip into the V. A good press, and your V-neckline will look a-mazing!

Pockets

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a wall covered in vine. She wears a black V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Pockets, ladies and gentlemen!

The Benning Dress includes pockets. The black rayon I used to sew my first Benning is very light; the pockets hang awkwardly. They bunch around the hip area slightly. I am too lazy to correct this issue on this version.

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a wall covered in vine. She wears a black and white polka dot V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Got one hand in my pocket

For the polka-dotted one, I used knit interfacing to stabilize the pocket openings. This resulted in a much nicer pocket and no hip bunching.

Detail image of the inside of the polka dot sleeve.
The Pockets

When working with lighter fabrics, use interfacing to stabilize the pocket openings. And if the fabric is too light and the pockets will only distort the shape of your garment, it is okay to skip the pockets. Wear an awesome purse instead!

The Benning Dress

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a wall covered in vine. She wears a black V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a wall covered in vine with her back to the camera. She wears a black V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Black Benning

No wonder the Benning Dress is one of Seamwork’s most popular patterns. It is easy to sew and very customizable–you can make it shorter like mine, or go maxi with the two tiers. I am thinking of a two-tier black version with the last tier in black lace. I may also make another one in very light cotton as a beach cover. So many possibilities!

Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a white garage door. with her back to the camera. She wears a black and white polka dot V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Image of a woman with long black hair standing in front of a white garage door. She wears a black and white polka dot V-neck dress with short kimono sleeves, a bodice that stops 2 inches above her waist, and a gathered skirt, and black boots.
Polka Dot Benning

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2 Comments

  1. Laura Morrigan
    February 19, 2022 / 3:55 pm

    Sounds a lot like a Coastal Australian Winter! I don’t know how people survive anything colder although I find snow very aesthetic! Haha!

    The dresses look great!

    Reply
    • SewGoth
      Author
      February 19, 2022 / 5:31 pm

      I was in Sidney and Melbourne 15 years ago. It was July and cool, but nothing that required more than a jacket. It was a fun trip.

      Reply

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