Saturday 29 June 2013

Winter dress Frankenpattern Vogue 8634 and Vogue 8571 winter t shirt dress

A great advantage of Southern Hemisphere sewing is that the majority of bloggers live in the other hemisphere. This means that when you are inspired by someone's outfit, you often have months and months for it to drift upwards in your ridiculously long sewing list  perculate in your sewing unconsciousness before it would actually be useful to make the garment.

DSC01843

With only a 3 or so month delay, I really thought I was on the ball here. Ripple Dandelion at A Sewing Life makes terrific clothes that not only appeal to my aesthetic, and look like the sort of garments that would be very useful and worn-to-death. In March, she posted a t shirt dress in wool/rayon knit. She didn't seem terribly excited by it, possibly due to Isewedititis, but I was instantly struck by the brilliance of adding an elevated waist seam and slightly fuller skirt to a long sleeved t shirt for an easily sewn, easy to wear winter outfit. (Her cute boots may have had something to do with this instant appeal). She also kindly mentioned her fabric source, FabricMart, and as she had not left the fabric lying around in some stash for a year or so until she made it (my usual tendency), I was able to buy the very same excellent fabric (in 3 colourways) through the wonders of freight forwarding (they do not post to Australia directly). The fabric was still a bargain.

I used my favourite of the moment winter top Vogue 8634, and the skirt from Vogue 8571.

DSC01834

Fortunately for me, the draft seemed quite consistent between the two patterns, and I merely laid the skirt over the t shirt, matching waist lines, and used the horizontal empire cutting line on the top as my joining seam.
Long version - FabricMart wool/rayon blend knit dark coral

DSC01786

Shorter version - The Fabric Store merino knit with lycra.

In both versions I self lined the upper bodice, enclosing the raglan and empire waistline seams using the yoke lining by machine method, and adding elastic to the empire waistline.

DSC01833

Unfortunately I did not stretch this at all in the green front bodice seam, so I have a little rippling here, but not enough to make me unpick the seams and do it again. The self lining means that there is pleasing disguising of any underwear lines or lumps and bumps.
The merino version is thicker fabric (and was 3x the price), and I prefer it, but the wool/rayon version will also be very useful. I have already worn both dresses and they are  both warm and comfortable.

I found my silk petticoat invaluable to prevent adherence of tights to the skirts of the dresses, and there was no static build up using these natural fibres, so I plan for a full silk slip somewhere in my sewing future.


25 comments:

Judith said...

I also appreciate how the 'other-side' of the pond has trialled patterns I like, and ironed out any little bugs along the way. It is a bonus of living Down Under...
Love these dresses, and you will get a heap of wear out of them at the chilly moment...J

jacquianne said...

I love the Frankenpattern result and might just have to copy!!!

Angela said...

Those are just gorgeous! I especially love the dark coral one. We are in triple digits here, so your dresses will have time to percolate in my subconscious as well:)

Jane M said...

Bot of these dresses look lovely one you, wonderful lines and flattering colors.

katherine h said...

Lovely colours, and it looks as though you will be snuggly without having to resort to tracky daks!

Mary said...

Those are so wonderful and you look absolutely stunning in both of them. I have these patterns and may just copy you when fall arrives for me.

fabric epiphanies said...

Yes, this is just the sort if cozy dress I want for work! Warm but stylish as well and looks good with boots. Great frankenpattern!

Sharon said...

Gorgeous dresses and a great idea.

MushyWear said...

Your dresses are an inspiration! Love both colors and they do look so modern and functional for colder weather.

shams said...

I love your dresses, Karen! They look comfy *and* chic!

LLBB said...

sweet that you could pretty much just lay one pattern over the other!!
I guess the pattern seasonality choice could/should work both ways :)

Cherrypix said...

I like your style! ...and I just got that top pattern! Thanks for the info re how you lined it...definitely going to try that!

SewRuthie said...

Glad you are back sewing. And interesting to see that raised waist. I do something similar, but just line up the waist line seams of the top and skirt and cut out one long piece, so have no waist seam at all.

Clio said...

Glad to see you are back with a veangeance! Great dresses! And what a clever frankenpatterning.

Uta said...

These are perfect for winter, and lovely on you. Gorgeous colors, too. Glad you're back to sewing!

pdiddly said...

great dresses love the different colours

Vicki said...

Lovely. Great mix of patterns.

Sandra said...

Karen, these two dresses are just lovely! And so wearable and comfy. I didn't used to think that I liked raised waistlines, but again I am changing my mind after seeing these on your dresses. Oh and I frequently suffer from "Isewedititis." haha

Sue said...

Lovely dresses - I wear a lot of separates in winter as pants are so much warmer, but I am hankering for a winter dress now, after seeing yours!

Gabrielle said...

Your dresses look great; both really practical for winter and also lovely on you!

Oh and that is a brilliant Northern/Southern hemisphere perspective :)


liza jane said...

Now this is on my list for next winter ;) Love that coral color.

Joy said...

Both of these are gorgeous! They manage to be both super comfortable looking and chic. You have me thinking about similar frankenpatterning.

The Slapdash Sewist said...

It is so cold in my office (though terribly muggy outside) that I am quite jealous of your cozy wool knits! The colors are great for you.

Gail said...

Missed these dresses when you first posted. They are great!

Tia Dia said...

Drift up the ridiculously long sewing queue is right! I often gain inspiration the other way around! Love these dresses - so simple and easy to wear!