Vogue 8305 Dress

I really like the Vogue 8305 high neck wrap top, as it looks much better on me than  a regular turtleneck, and has the added advantage of two layers at the front,making it quite warm when worn under an open jacket or cardigan.
I last made up this pattern in 2008,when I also made a dress from the pattern, later cut down into a top, which is still in circulation.
Having made the green merino version of the top, my fancy was caught by the dress again. I had only cut down the original dress to a top because I had worn the dress so often that the skirt part had worn in the seat. It is undoubtedly a sign of my complete unfashionableness that I still find this pattern quite current.
Here is my new dress, in thin purple merino jersey with a tiny bit of lycra. The fabric is from Global Fabrics in Dunedin.


You might think, that having just made the top, this would have been terribly easy to sew.
Maybe for normal, sensible people. Unfortunately, I had carefully returned all the pieces of pattern to the envelope as I used them, just as my mother taught me when I was 11. (My mother is very tidy). When I took the pieces out again, I somehow managed to cut out the sleeve for cardigan/jacket A, rather than the dress and top B.



The jacket sleeve is much larger and looser than the dress/top.
My first reaction was to gather the sleeve to the armscye. This was admittedly a decision made under pressure, as I had started cutting out the dress at 2pm, in serious plans to have the dress finished in time for a very dull dinner I was attending at 6.30 pm.
Like all such decisions, this was a complete disaster. The gathered sleeve gave a most unfortunate mid 80's line to the dress.
I unpicked the sleeve seam (3 step zig-zag at 1.0mm Agghhhh!) and slashed quite a bit from each side of the sleeve. This may be why the sleeves do not look quite as good in this dress as they do in my 4 previous versions of the pattern.
This photograph was taken in my wrinkly dress, reapplied, the next morning (it was not that sort of party). For some reason, it became dark before I finished the dress, being winter solstice and all, and I was not able to have my photo taken in the dress for its original outing.
The shoulders are stabilised with cotton voile selvage, and the neckline with slightly stretched clear elastic. The side gathers are stabilised with unstretched clear elastic - just like the top.
 My alterations to this pattern are a square shoulder adjustment, a large biceps adjustment (in both the jacket and dress sleeves ) and extra backside room and less waist room in the considerately placed centre back seam. I did not need to make any FBA adjustment, which is a pleasant change for me. I shortened the dress to my knee length, (about 10cm less than Vogue's ;) )I did not use a zip, as the dress goes over my head easily,

I was very happy with the dress (and my tights from London) but on viewing the photographs feel that possibly my loose rayon petticoat is an inadequately firming undergarment for this thin fabric. I have a sudden feeling that all the baking I have been doing is not necessarily a good idea. Sigh.