Stumbling across Ankara fabric last year changed my life. The large-scale designs, the brilliant colors, the vibrant Ankara sewing community...I was hooked. 

Ankara is generally a cotton fabric, dyed using a wax process. The resulting fabric is nearly identical on both sides. It's a versatile, medium-weight woven that resists wrinkling and is pleasant to sew and comfortable to wear. What's not to love?

Vogue 1297 is an excellent pattern for Apples. It looks fabulous in striped fabric, thanks to the giant pockets set at a slimming angle. It's also surprisingly easy to make, even when you're working with an older sewing machine like I do!

My first version of this dress was made with a substantial brick-red striped knit. It's not a scuba knit, but it is almost that substantial. I do think you could get away with a medium-weight knit. Anything too light might not skim over you as flatteringly (no surprise to most of us). The minor wubble in the front-facing pic is my not-very layerable shirt scrunching!

Awesome

• pockets
• flattering drape
• fast/easy/professional look

Did I mention it has pockets? The pockets and dress never fail to get compliments, from people wanting to know where I got it. No one has ever asked if I made it. That means a lot to me! There is no need to match the stripes, so this really does cut and sew quickly. The thin piece at the neck was the only piece I paid close attention to lining up.

Not As Awesome

• knits only (really)
• best for stripes/solids

The second version of this dress, I decided to use a woven fabric, and put an exposed zipper in the back. The print on the second fabric was not striped. It was a small, busy print, and it came from the quilting section, which isn't "bad", just lighter weight than my knit. Please note that at this point, I'm not using the pattern envelope's recommended fabric, and the fabric's print is not like either shown on the envelope. The result was not flattering. I will definitely be making this dress again, in stripes or solids!