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Things I haven't got around to posting yet #3 - Vogue 8724

It's like I am on a dress making spree!  In fact the spree happened in the last three or four months of last year, but hey - I was busy and never got to posting things.  I also felt like I needed to let the dresses (and a skirt, yet to come) "sit" for a while.  I am not really sure what I mean by that, but it didn't seem like I wanted to photograph and post these as soon as they were finished, like it does with clothes for the kids or quilts I have made...

Anyway - next in line was Very Easy Vogue 8724.


I bought this pattern for a number of reasons:

  1. I had the fabric already but didn't have much, and this one only needs 1.5m (I think I had a bit over, but not much).
  2. I liked the look of it and have a few cross over tops which seem to work
  3. I wanted something to wear to a wedding and later to reuse and wear to work - it seemed like this style could cross over for both
  4. It is specified as very easy - important when trying to get it done quickly!
  5. It has a cup size custom fit (see other posts about my usual sizing method - cut enormous and then massively bring in the waist and hips )
And here is the result:


I am really pleased with this one - and this is at the end of a long day at work.  It looks quite nice I think and it feels really comfortable.  I changed the pattern slightly to flare out the skirt more - the original is more of a soft tulip shape.  I like the alteration (though I think I would like the original too).  I felt like I wanted more a more "flowy" look (technical sewing term that one...) as I was wearing it to a wedding.


Ignore the odd sit of the hem in this one - I was kind of just about to fall over so it doesn't really fall there...I am so pleased with this fabric.  It was $3/metre on the sale shelf at spotlight - so this dress (aside from the pattern) cost about $4.50!  I didn't have much fabric to play with at the bottom as I had added the flare to the skirt piece also, but I managed to make it work and have enough left up at the top (where the pattern is smaller) to kind of fussy cut the front bodice pieces so that they were even size print around the top half.


The most tricky bit of this (aside from trying to fit the crossover so it sits nicely without gaping and revealing too much) was the pleats.  This close up kind of shows where they fall - one of them sort of crosses over the other, which was a mental challenge.  As soon as I realised what the instructions meant it was pretty obvious and I could envisage the result, but there was a short while of mental block where my head wasn't quite getting it (late at night...).

Best dress I have ever made for me (though that's only out of three so far).  This is the first dress that made me feel like I want to bother to continue trying to make dresses - until recently I rarely wore them due to the fitting issues with shop bought clothes and my shape.  This was a personal triumph as I got to wear this to a wedding (!), feel like I looked great and had the ultimate moment where a friend commented on it and I got to say "thanks - I made it" and watch her jaw hit the floor!  I don't have friends who make stuff, so she was easily impressed of course :)

I still have more to show that I haven't yet got around to posting - happy sewing days!



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