Sewing a dress with "crinkly" fabric. How do I cut?

[achintyasamma]

I want to sew a dress with this fabric that I can best describe as crinkly. It's embroidered cotton, but it's similar to some rayons that really bunch up. If I iron this fabric, I'm guessing the width will increase by 25-30%. Do I iron it and then cut my pattern pieces? This seems like it will work, but in certain areas (read BUST) the fabric will stay taught as there will be no room for it to re-bunch. If I try to cut the pieces from the unstretched fabric, I'm guessing it will be difficult to fit the pieces together. Some parts of the dress have interfacing, which seems like they will be permanently flat or permanently crinkly depending on the state of the fabric when the interfacing is applied.

Should I make this dress out of some nice flat homespun and save the crinkly fabric for a skirt or something?

[she]

Hmmm.... it would depend on how crinkly it is and what the dress looked like.
Some patterns just aren't suited to textured fabrics, kwim?

If you decided to make it, I would cut it out as it is - crinkled. Definitely line it, even just a half lining over the area of greatest tension, the bust. Interfacing is generally only fused to the facings, so whether to fuse the pieces flat or crinkled is up to you because they won't be seen.

HTH!

[achintyasamma]

Thanks. I checked the fabric again, and I think it's only about 15% stretch, so I'm going to go ahead and try it. I need a nursing dress to wear to my brother's bootcamp graduation in 2.5 weeks. All my clothes are too ethnic or hippy and would probably embarass him, and I want to be a good, supportive sister.