Vogue 8975…comfort over style

Last summer when I was in the middle of my summer drop-waist frenzy, I made a particular favourite using a stunning printed cotton from Tessuti. It was one of those rare occasions when I had a dress in mind and then went shopping specifically to find a fabric to match that vision. Usually, I fall in love with fabrics first and then draw inspiration from them.

Now this particular fabric suited my purpose well and I liked it well enough, but I probably wouldn’t have chosen it without a specific project in mind. However, it ended up being one of those prints that I fell madly in love with more each time I saw it, which was very often, believe me. So when I happened across a lovely jersey version of the exact same print (on my farewell trip to Tessuti), I snapped it up.

I’ve been desperate to use it ever since but have been struggling with ideas. I spent a bit of time looking for a suitable pattern and eventually found one I quite liked, Vogue 8975.

 

 

I just love big, draped pockets right now and I think that was the thing that drew me to this pattern. In hindsight, none of the dresses on the cover are really my style, but I was on a mission to sew up that fabric! Can anyone else relate?

 

The experience of sewing this dress was fantastic. The drapey knit was a little fiddly to work with, but not impossible. I still don’t have my overlocker, so I used the opportunity to experiment with the stitches on my Pfaff. I have a stitch and overlock stitch-in-one feature on my sewing machine. It works well but is very slow going compared to using an overlocker. You also have to go back and trim every seam after you sew them. But the end result is good (as long as you are VERY careful not to stretch the fabric as you sew).

The drapes on this dress are just lovely and the pocket construction was ingenious. I loved making this dress and watching the puzzle pieces come together. I would have loved to place the floral pattern a bit better on the dress, but I barely had enough fabric as it was. I wasn’t planning to use any contrast fabric in my version of this dress but unfortunately necessity demanded it. I found the contrast jersey knit at Jo-Ann. It was my first fabric purchase in the US, having been somewhat underwhelmed by the fabric shopping in Kansas. I was totally spoilt in Australia, living so close in proximity to the amazing fabric shops of Surry Hills. I now realise that I am just going to have to do my shopping online, but I have prepared for this with a nice 30″ screen to view my fabric on!

But back to this dress. I think it is a fraction too roomy in the upper chest and arms for me. It may be that the size is a little large, combined with the fact that my fabric is a little lighter and a bit more drapey than that on the cover photo. You can see the sizing problem best when my hands are on my hips. A closer fit would make for a nicer silhouette.  But I have to admit that it is still quite a lovely dress. I’ve since seen some other great versions of this dress in the blogosphere, here and here, and here which you might also like to check out. Call me boring, but I think I like the monochrome versions best.

At the moment, I’m a little undecided about the hems at the sleeves and bottom of the dress. At the moment I have left them raw (they roll nicely in this particular fabric). I just felt that hemming them with a twin needle would add bulk and affect the clean drape of this particular fabric. I’d prefer to do a narrow hem on the bottom of the dress using an overlocker (when I eventually get one). I could probably do this on my Pfaff using some stabilizer but I don’t want to lose any length on the dress. I’m also thinking of adding contrast cuffs to the sleeves, or simply removing the sleeves altogether.

End note: So when I had the photos taken and first started writing this post, I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t wear this dress again. But the fabric is just so deliciously soft and the style so comfortable and perfect for Spring, that despite my misgivings, I have found myself slipping it on at the end of most days. It is a shame that this beautiful fabric doesn’t get the proper show-time of a regular day out and about on the town, but at least my neighbours get to admire it (styled with the regulatory in-house Ugg boots of course). It really has become the perfect little French house dress for me!