Vogue Donna Karan 1159

There are many other reviews of this dress, but here is mine:

Fabric is from Stone Mountain and Daughter in Berkeley. It's labeled as rayon and lycra, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a little bit of wool in it. After all of the fuss on pattern review, it really wasn't all that hard to make. You just have to be slow and methodical. I used thread tracing to mark the circles/squares for the first time, which was so much easier than trying to make out where my chalk markings escaped to. I also read the instructions about 3 times before proceeding, so I could visualize the construction. I made a size 12, because that it what I had bought to fit my hips. I was worried because I often fit a size 8 bodice in Vogue, and there was no way to make any size alterations on this one! Luckily, it turned out just fine. I did make a couple alterations:

1) Arm hole gapage - I used the pattern alterations from pattern review here. Sadly, the arm holes were still quite gape-y even after bringing them up an inch! I then unstitched and sewed them up at least another inch (it's not a straight seam, so I just matched them up as flush as I could). This ended up taking the bodice in almost an inch on both sides, which compensated well for it being too big in the first place!
2) Length - I initially tried it on and cut off 3 inches (I'm 5'5"). I tried it on again, and realized the front hung much lower than the back, so had to unpin the back and take a very small hem there. If you are like me and don't have a mannequin for fitting, make sure you measure from the floor, not just take off an even amount.
3) Lining - my fabric was relatively thin and drapy, and has more 4 way stretch that it should. I was worried about it stretching out too far, and given the negative ease of the lining, I thought that might lend some support. I used a silky rayon jersey I had left over, which was actually a bit thicker than my fashion fabric. I enlarged the darts to make it snug in the back. It works quite well, and the fabric drapes beautifully over it.
4) Neck gapage - I put in a couple stitches to keep everything in place. This might not be an issue if you are full busted, but would recommend it otherwise. I also put in a stitch where the front crosses.

Overall, I highly recommend this pattern. The finished dress has great draping and is very comfortable to wear.

Vogue 1027 Dress - X2

The first is definitely an approximation of Vogue 1027 - I made it more of an empire waist, dropped the tie, and didn't do a circle skirt. I used a lightweight cotton knit from the $3/yard table that I picked up in SF. I should have bought more! I made an SBA on the front pattern pieces by pinching out one of the darts, and taking about 1/3 inch folded off vertically in the center of the front bodice piece. I constructed the back with a CB seam, and used another knit dress pattern that had a swayback adjustment. I used the lightweight steam a seam at the neck line to ensure I didn't get any stretching. A bit of elastic would probably be nice, but I didn't have any. I constructed the sleeves as instructed, which isn't beautiful on the inside, but looks fine on the outside. For the hem I just turned it up 1/4 inch and folded twice, because I didn't want to make it any shorter than this, and I ran out of fabric!

(will post picture soon!)

The second is the real thing. I used a silky rayon jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics, which has a weight and feel closer to silk jersey than your average rayon knit. It also has a little bit of sheen which makes it a little dressier. I like the feel of it, but it's much harder to work with than normal rayon jersey! If you cut your skirt on the grain, it only takes 2 yards to complete it. I cut a size 8 and ended up having to take the side seams in some. The only major change I used from the pattern is that I self lined the upper bodice. This gave a little more substantial bodice to hang the circle skirt off of - important because the fabric has some weight to it! It also meant that I didn't have to hem the neck and sleeves . I did end up top stitching them though. I took 4 inches off of the skirt when I cut it, and it still hits below the knee. I used Assorted Notions recommendations for the tie. I also ended up hand stitching the rest of it to the bodice, because otherwise the knot would slip down and show the seam which looked kind of odd. If your fabric wasn't so slinky, it would probably just stay in place with a knot. Here is a pic (sorry, I obviously can't be bothered to iron for ya'll!):

Vogue 8396 Gauchos

This pattern seems to be now out of print, but actually is a very easy and quick pant for lounging around in. I used a stretch knit cotton, also from denverfabrics. They do fit relatively acurately to size. The design had straight legs down from the waist, so I took them in a bit at the thigh so they flair out some. I've left them un-hemmed at the bottom, mostly out of laziness. I might do a twin needle stitch if I get around to it, but I kind of like the curled hems you get with 2 way stretch knits.

Vogue 8411 Dress

I've been meaning to start this blog for some time now. I've learned how to sew thanks to the many blogs and tutorials available on the web, and so I would like to share my sewing with others going through the same process. So here goes...

As for the dress, it's made out of a lightweight rayon from denverfabrics. Many people on patternreview said that it was super easy and quick - I am a beginner, so I would hardly characterize it has quick, but definitely is doable. This *was* my first time putting sleeves on something after all! The instructions were easy to follow. Sizing was much to big as others have stated - I cut a 10, then took in the side seams at least an inch on both sides of the top bodice and a little bit in the back seam to make a more fitted look. The pleating was not difficult, but time consuming. I did hand baste, which was slow going, but worked fine. The sleeves I did incorrectly, so they are a little tight on the shoulders. I have now found this excellent tutorial which I will attempt next time: here. I also found a new technique for gathering, which i pulled the bobbin and top thread through the machine so there was enough to match the whole length of the gather. I then did a zig zag stitch over it like many do over a piece of cotton yarn (which I didn't have). All you have to do is pull the 2 threads through and you have a gather without tying any knots or anything. It's a pleasant, comfortable dress. Unfortunately it is still too hot to wear it around here this time of year!


The wrinkles are strangely much more prominent in the sun than in person! Maybe I will iron before shooting next time.