vogue 8379 dress

 
 
I finished this dress this morning so that I could wear it today. I generally have one day a week when I am a "stay at home" Mum. This means that I spend some of the day at home (preferably sewing, but housework does call out occasionally) but most of the day running errands. In Summer I wear sundresses, easy to make, comfortable, and smart enough to wear grocery shopping and to collect the children from school. In Autumn and Winter I generally wear skirts and tops for these days, but when this dress made the pattern review best of 2007 list, I thought it might fill this gap in my wardrobe. The fabric is a lightweight cotton knit print from Georgeous Fabrics. I am very happy with it, but it is a little too thin, and the print a bit big for my original intended purpose - a long sleeved surplice shirt, so I thought I would try to squeeze this dress out of it. I ordered 2 yards, but it was cut generously, and I managed to make a long sleeved version of the dress, admittedly without collar and facings, despite the pattern calling for 2 and 3/4 yards. I did need to add a centre back seam to the bodice, but was able to cut the back skirt on the fold and to keep larger elements of the print where I wanted them. I need a slip under the dress, due to the thinner fabric.

The pattern piece I made with a D FBA and a pleat added at the waist worked well, and I am happy with the fit. I hope you can see the pleat I drew in, it is the one closest to the centre of the pattern piece. The other changes I made that I did not mention in the previous post were to interface under the attachment points of the sash, and to use bar tacks at either end of these attachment seams. I did not use cuffs, but lengthened the sleeve to a suitable length. I finished the skirt and the sleeve hems with a lettuce frill on my overlocker. I am happy with this effect.

I hope to sew more today. I am considering a silk blouse for me, or pyjamas for my DD#2. The blouse will require a toile, so I am leaning more towards the pyjamas.