Wednesday, February 19, 2014

A black dress for spring


But first, let's get the obligatory winter photo out of the way, shall we.




I'm just grateful that, during this winter when my husband has connived to work long hours during practically every snowstorm, our son is old enough to handle the tractor himself and clear that snow. Our driveway is very long, and with luck I won't be out there again until said son leaves for college.

Spring will come eventually and I plan to be ready for it. The cozy, warm fabrics in my stash will just have to wait until next year at this point, because I've gotten wise to how it works: sewing the way I sew (slowly) for how I feel right now (cold) will only lead to poor sartorial timing.





However . . . this warm-weather dress was so quick and easy that it is done way ahead of time. Which is as it should be, since it's Very Easy Vogue 8985. I have somehow lost track of the envelope, but here's a link to the Vogue website. I see from the pattern stats on Pattern Review that this is not one of the more popular of the recent Vogue releases, but I had to get it because version B, the dress with sleeve bands, reminds me of a favorite navy silk dress I used to wear in the 1980s. Hmmm, perhaps that is where the problem lies . . .


The instructions are full of little mistakes. No mention of buttons in the list of notions, reference to nonexistent notches, steps like "Press under 5/8 inch on unnotched edge of sleeve band. Trim pressed edge to 5/8 inch." Not at all a big deal, but it seems a little sloppy. Do they want to hire me to proofread for them?

The pattern comes in sizes XS to XXL. I used the bodice length of the medium size but cut a small everywhere else, and there is clearly still plenty of room in there. If I make this again some day, I'll taper in at the waist for more definition. I thought it would work because the elastic is up around the ribcage, which happens to be my smallest part, but I'm afraid this dress does have some of that dreaded pillow-with-a-string-tied-around-the-middle look. I still like it well enough.








Oh, wait, that's a little low for bending over. I'll be right back.


















Here's a grainy photo that shows the details better. It does have pockets! I forgot to put my hands in them for the photos.









In two days I'm off to Seattle and then California to help my mother celebrate a significant birthday. My next photos should be from foggy but lovely Monterey Bay.

10 comments:

  1. Hi Patricia, glad to see you're getting some sewing done in the snow. I really like that dress for spring. It reminds me of the dresses from the 50s by Claire McCardell, which were comfortable and easy to wear--and had pockets. And the dresses we used to wear to work in the 80s, many of which were inspired by those 50s designs. Hope you have a great trip--with time for fabric shopping!

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    1. Thank you, Julie. I recently added Claire McCardell: Redefining Modernism to my little library of books on designers, and I am enjoying looking through it.

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  2. I already bought this pattern too and I'm surprised it isn't as popular! I thought it would be a great comfortable spring dress...or even beach coverup. Love your version - and now I know to not take the instructions so seriously

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    1. I agree that it will make a great spring dress or coverup for you, Carrie, with your lovely slim figure. Have fun with it!

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  3. Nice dress and I like the insert! Black and white is always a winner.

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    1. Thanks! The white is in fact a tank top worn underneath the dress, but I think it works even better than an insert because it also helps cover up the view through those very wide sleeve openings.

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  4. I've been wanting to make this one up in linen as a muumuu alternative. I suspected it wouldn't be flattering, but you look great in it! I may need to move this one up on my list of priorities. Thank you for the review.

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    1. I hope you go ahead with it, Alyson. It's comfortable, quick to make, and a nice basic wardrobe addition.

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  5. A lovely timelessly classic dress, and it looks really elegant on you! :)

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    1. Thank you, Carolyn! Funny you should comment just now: I was just looking at an older post of yours about fabric shopping in Tokyo, as I'm lucky enough to be making a trip to Japan in late April. We will only be in Tokyo for a short couple of days, but based on what you and others have written, I will definitely hit Nippori Fabric Town.

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