Vogue 1537 Dress in Silk/Linen

Hi there!  You may (or may not - it has been a few months) remember my excitement at Vogue 1537, a spring Kay Unger Designer pattern for Vogue.  Well, I finished it about two months ago, but with all the move excitement, I never got around to photographing and sharing it.  The coat is 95% finished as well.  It just needs a bit of hand sewing at the buttonholes (and buttons!), but once I missed the deadline on a perfect event for it, I lost steam.  It is too warm to wear now in Florida, but hopefully I will find the perfect excuse to wear it once we get to Pennsylvania.

So back to the main event - Vogue 1537.  I photographed this on a beautiful day, but I think the pale colored dress plus the white in the background was just too much for my camera and the photos are a bit washed out.  The detail photos at the end are an accurate representation of the fabric.  It is a silk/linen blend that I purchased at Penny Fabrics in Sarasota (sorry, still no website).  The lining is rayon from JoAnn fabrics.

The only shaping on the front is two french darts.  This style dart starts at the side seam around the waist and comes to a point at the bust.  This is a very flattering dart on my body shape.  It is easy to fit.  Here is another example of a dress with french darts.

The back has standard vertical fish-eye darts and a side invisible zipper.  I tried so hard to get that bottom band to be in the perfect position to cover my bra strap, but it always pops out, which totally ruins the look.  So far, I have only worn this dress with a little cardi over top, so you couldn't see the main detail anyway, but maybe I could look for a bra with a very thin band.  I can also envision some type of thread loop carriers like are used for bra straps, but that would be quite a pain to attach to my bra band and might cause strange bunching of my dress.

Here are the detail photos that show the fabric better.  After I wore this dress two times, I took it to the dry cleaner, and I kind of want to cry.  I was so meticulous with sewing and pressing this dress, and it came back distorted on the left side of the opening...

...and look what they did to the back left shoulder!  That isn't a sewing mistake.  The corresponding underside on the right is just as bad, but this is visible.  I don't know what to do in the future.  Just hand wash and press myself?  I like the crispness from the dry cleaner, but not at the expense of the shape of my dress!  Any ideas?  

Vogue 1257 by Alexander McQueen in Linen

When Tany made her version of out-of-print pattern Vogue 1257, it reminded me that I have been wanting to make this dress since I bought the pattern new!  The copyright on the pattern is 1998.  I am sure I bought it a few years later at JoAnns, and I am glad I did since it can sell for quite a bit now.

The thing that kept me from making this dress years ago was the fabric - the pattern envelope shows it in a slinky silk, which was a little intimidating combined with a bias-cut dress for a new-ish sewer.  When Tany made hers, though, I was determined to make this happen.  When I looked through my fabric stash, I found this linen I bought years and years ago and decided to give it a try.  I am really happy with how the fabric and pattern paired together, even though it is quite different from the original look.

This dress is really quite simple to sew.  It is only a few pieces.  The bias-cut design provides the shape.  I had to cut off some length from the pieces due to my fabric constraints, but I don't think it is very noticeable.  I am happy with the finished length.

The biggest challenge was getting the straps just right.  I steamed and stretched them first, as suggested by Tany.  The design of this dress and the weight of my fabric choice means that one side of this dress is pulled down much more than the other.  It took some trial and error to get each strap just the right length so that the dress looks even in the end.

I am very happy with the final product here.  I would still be happy to make a silk version, especially now that I know how easy this is to sew, if the perfect fabric presents itself.

McCalls 7391 Lace-Up Shift Dress

Hi there.  Remember when I said I wanted to make McCalls 7391 after I finished my lace-up tee?  Well, I did it.  The fabric is a navy linen/rayon fabric from JoAnn Fabrics.  The laces are a braided rope-like trim, also purchased from JoAnn, but I can't find it online.  I also stitched the trim right on top of my hem stitching, and I love the extra pop.  The eyelets are the exact same ones I used for my tee linked above.

Ok enough talking.  Here it is:

 I found the fit to be ok for me.  Of course I did not make a muslin.  :-)  I ended up adjusting the side seams a bit - taking them in at the bust and letting them out at the hips.  Taking it in at the bust made my armholes a bit smaller, and they are perfect now.  If I hadn't needed the adjustment, I may have found the armholes a bit low.

This design has a subtle shirttail hem.  Very nice.

This has a loose fit, but I don't think it is unflattering.  It skims the curves and is very comfortable on a hot day.

I machine-stitched the trim at the hem with a simple straight stitch down the middle.  I am so glad I didn't hand-stitch it on.  It looks just fine and was much faster!

Simplicity 8059

So I thought this outfit from Simplicity 8059 looked really comfortable and Florida-chic on the pattern envelope, so I went for it all-the-way.  I'm not so sure now, though.  It looks a bit "madame" on me (meaning mature, not French).  Like I could see this on one of the fabulous retirees that live down here.  While I have no problem dressing a bit more mature as I get older (rompers not withstanding), I'm not ready to jump ahead that much yet.

I think it all comes down to the top's hem line, and I am thinking of remedying that this afternoon with a little snip snip and sew.  It's funny because that detail was what drew me to the pattern in the first place, but on me, I'm not loving it.  

I do love the fabrics, though.  Both are from JoAnn.  The top is made with this rayon spandex fabric which is no longer at my local store, but is for sale online, and I am seriously considering getting two more yards for a fun dress.  It starts to pill pretty quickly, but I don't mind so much for a simple top, and I just love all the shades of blue.  The pants are a linen/lyocell blend that I can't find online.  They drape beautifully, and the linen look is nice.  They do require a quick ironing after washing, but it is very fast.

The pattern and instructions for the V-neck are excellent.  These are great results, and I will definitely use this pattern for all my future V-neck needs.

I tried the top with some jeggings to see if I preferred that look to the whole outfit together, but I'm still not convinced on the shape of the top.  I think it is getting a snip.

Vogue 9124

Right on the heels of my last less-than-perfect dress, I have this Vogue 9124 that I have had in my closet (and been wearing) for about 6 months!  The thing is, I can't decide how I feel about it.  This is the elusive dress that seems to look better in pictures than in real life.

'

Let me back up.  Here is the pattern envelope photo.

Hahaha yeah, not my personal style, but it was the top drawing below, View A, that pulled me in.  I mean, look at those cute little puffed sleeves, the subtle flounce at the hem, and the tailored placket.  What's not to love?  The fabric is a linen/rayon blend with a little texture, from JoAnn Fabrics.

Here it is unadorned with a belt, and I think you can pick out my problem with the dress right away, right in the middle.  The placket has so many layers, plus some light interfacing, and it does not drape with the rest of the dress.  It stands away from the body in an unattractive, beer-gut kind of way.  Now, I think that this might be in part that it is a half inch or so too long-waisted for me, like these two recent projects, but I am happy with the blouse-iness overall, just not what the placket does.

It looks a little better in this photo, but you can still see the center front sticking out.  The other thing I am not crazy about is that there is so much gathering on the skirt that the elastic is not enough to hold it in.  Maybe a wider elastic would have been better.  I wouldn't wear this without a belt, and the easy, cool (no belt) aspect is what drew me to this pattern in the first place.

 With those complaints out of the way, I have to admit that I do wear this dress fairly frequently... with a belt.  Usually, I wear the belt I have on in the first photo because it covers the elastic waist area well, but it is too thick and warm for the hot weather coming up, so I decided to play around with a couple other belts in my closet.  Here is the first photo again, for reference:

Here it is with a skinny navy belt.  Maybe you can see that it just doesn't cover the elastic waist area very well.

And this is the only side view that I got.  You can see the upper body issue, but with a belt on, I think it is ok.

This is the last belt I tried on.  It's one of my favorites, but I don't think it works with this dress.  I would be fiddling with it constantly, trying to make sure it covered the waistline.

So, two half-duds in a row.  Hopefully the next one will knock it out of the park. I am about to start testing another pattern for Itch to Stitch, and her patterns seem to fit me with very minimal changes, so crossed fingers here.

Simplicity 2215 - Cynthia Rowley Collection

This is Simplicity 2215, a Cynthia Rowley pattern from 2010.  Of course, I am just now getting around to sewing it.  I decided to sew the skirt, but I do like the dress and blouse in the pattern also.

 The fabric is another score from Gorgeous Fabrics, the same order as this and this.  The fabric is a cotton/linen twill that is out of stock.  It looks and feels like a heavy-weight linen.

 This skirt has uneven pleats.  It even mentions in the directions that this is a designer detail.  As a home seamstress, though, I just hope it reads as "designer detail" and not "she needs to go back to home ec."

The heavy fabric combined with the pleats make the skirt swingier than I prefer - as in, it seems to stand away from the body a lot.  I hope the fabric softens up with some more washing and relaxing to hand more straight.

 The pockets and fringed hem make this skirt fun and casual.  This skirt will see lots of wear this spring, especially with my new t-shirt shown here..

 Here are the pockets.  I used a coordinating quilting cotton from my stash for the pocket bags.  It is neat how the pattern incorporates side pockets with a side zipper.  You can also see the fringed trim in this photo.  I made a row of straight stitches about 1/4 inch from the edge to prevent more fraying.

Simplicity 2226 in linen

I needed a simple little palate cleanser before addressing the wrinkley-butt pants.

Enter Simplicity 2226.  Simple little gathered skirt with pockets and yoke waist? Yes, please.  I've actually made this once before.  Since that one had turned out too big originally and needed alteration, I just cut this one a size smaller.  Perfection!

 This version hits just above my knee, while my original was mid-knee.  I think I prefer this length.

The fabric is 100% linen from JoAnn's  (similar to this, but darker) that has been patiently waiting to become a skirt for several months.

Oh, shame on me for not wanting to go out to JoAnns and get a brown invisible zipper.  When you're in the zone, though, you just want to finish it up, and I had white on hand!  I wonder if a little permanent marker could make that look better.

I was actually killing two birds with one stone and photographing the skirt and the little shawl, but I'll talk about that another day.

Simplicity 1462

Well, it's a bit rumpled after a day of wearing tucked in (as is my hair), but here is my new blouse glimpsed on May 4th here.  The pattern is Simplicity 1462.

 Here you can see the interesting seams on the side.  I chose this pattern to show off the tiny orange stripes woven into the fabric.  I love the little tucks in the short sleeves.  They give a little puff and are comfortable to wear, but they look more sophisticated than a gathered hem.  The raglan sleeves are a bit unusual for a woven top and worked out well.  You can also see the side zipper pull at the waistline here.

The front opening does collapse a bit.  I don't think I interfaced the opening at all - just the collar.  If I make this again, I'll add a lightweight fusible to the opening areas to combat this. It doesn't bother me much, though.

 The fabric is linen from Pennie Fabrics in Sarasota.  Pre-washing softened the hand and decreases wrinkling.

 You're still going to get wrinkles with linen, though.  No way around it.

I like the look of a woven blouse, but I always worry about the comfort factor.  I love to be comfy, and I'm more used to wearing stretchy knit tops.  As far as fitted woven tops go, though, I felt fine in this one all day.  Overall, a nice, cool, comfy blouse for summer that will work with skirts, shorts, or pants.

Vogue 1440

 This top is from Vogue 1440, a Donna Karan design that I gushed about here.  I really think this little blouse is the highlight of that pattern, not the jacket thing.   (I promise my hems match up!! - drives me nuts when that happens in photos)

The only change I made was to make the darts about twice as wide at the bottom, tapering to the bust point.  It was just a smidge too tent-like as drafted.  I think it still has a nice fluid shape while helping me avoid pregnancy questions.

 I adore the back detail.  I'm not usually a fan of racer-back styles on me, but I think this looks fine, and the seams are just really different.

Everything is finished beautifully, too, both inside and outside (thanks to the pattern instructions).  There is a fair amount of top-stitching, which you can't see well on mine since it is white on white.  My fabric is a cotton/linen from JoAnn's.  It was nice and cool to wear yesterday (it's 90 degrees this week already!)

Oops, you can see my cami a bit on the right up there. I wore this with a nude X-back adjustable bra and a cami that I retrofitted for this top by tying the straps together with some heavy duty thread. ;-)  I think I would have been fine without a cami, but the shirt was see-through enough that there was a distracting line where my black pants started.  I'll have to experiment with an outfit that wouldn't require a layer underneath, to maximize the cool cotton/linen factor.

I also like the detail of the covered button placket.  The only interfacing is in the collar and collar stand.  I used silk organza, and it lays very nicely, definitely the best result I've had with a collared shirt behaving.  I'm glad I didn't use fusible.

This pattern is definitely a "win."  I think I'll try it tucked into a skirt, also, and see if the volume isn't too much.  That would be a great, cool summer look.  It's all about staying cool on the bike rides for school pickup now. :-)