Sister Gift: Hand Made Wedding Sweater from my talented and generous sister

My talented sister Beth made me a cover up to wear over my sundress at her son's upcoming wedding at the Carmel Highlands Inn, which is coming up this Memorial Day weekend.   She describes herself as an "Extreme Knitter," and I have to say, I have to agree.

After hearing me describe what I  had in mind:  a pretty but functional bolero/shrug to cover my arms that didn't hide the shape of the dress, Beth found a pattern on Ravelry.  

  We took some measurements, and Beth made some modifications to the pattern, like lengthening the sleeves.  

I picked and purchased the yarn (a delicious 90% cotton/10% cashmere)  at a local yarn shop to match the cotton print sundress. When Craig and I were up in the Pacific Northwest in March, I met up with Beth and handed off  the yarn.   Beth then went off to Gabon in April on a nursing assignment for the State Department, and set to the task of knitting.  It just arrived in the mail, and I am thrilled with the result!

Vogue Sundress for a NorCal Wedding

Vogue 8997

Sundress for My nephew's wedding  My nephew is getting married over Memorial Day weekend at the Carmel Highlands Inn.   So of course I needed a dress to match the beautiful location.   So I just finished Vogue 8997, and am pretty pleased with the result.    Here's a cut and paste of my review from PatternReview.com V8997 Pattern Description: Lined princess-seamed sundress fits close through bodice. Raised waist comes to a "V" under the bust, tapers to natural waistline at side seams. This is a "Custom-Fit" pattern, which means I can just cut the D cup without having to make my own FBA. I appreciate that this option is becoming more and more available nowadays. Pattern Sizing: I cut the 14, tapering to a 12 at the shoulders. Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, very much so. Were the instructions easy to follow? I am not experienced enough to dispense with instructions, so I ended up a little confused as to why I was instructed to treat the lining and the fashion fabric as one piece at center back. End result is that the whole dress is beautifully lined, the bodice is joined to the skirt at the waist and hand finished, but just in the back by the zipper, the raw edges are exposed. I am not sure if I mis-understood the directions, but I was too lazy to rip and redo it. You can only see if it you look inside! What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I really like the fit. Princess seams, fit and flare- this has long been a go-to dress silhouette for me. Fabric Used: Cotton floral print with a tiny bit of Spandex in my favorite colors from Mood. Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Graded from 12 at the shoulders to 14 at the waist. Would you sew it again? I might make another sundress if the right fabric presents itself. Would you recommend it to others? yes. Conclusion: Really happy with the end result. And my talented and generous sister has knit me a periwinkle bolero/shrug sweater to go with to keep me covered and comfy.