Vogue 1182 by Kay Unger.....Drum Roll Please!!!

Well,I'm ready for the reveal of my Vogue 1182.Just to remind you here is the pattern.



As I've said before,this is my Mother-of-the Groom dress. My youngest child Jeff is getting married on Sunday in Ottawa. I could have had this dress finished long before now ,but I chose to take my time with it and to take breaks from it. Without further ado! Voila! I love it!



The Fabric
The colour is exactly what I envisioned but unfortunately,I couldn't find a silk dupionni that was anywhere near this shade. I had to settle for a polyester shantung. The weight is about that of a taffeta and worked really well with this style..For lining,I used a silk /cotton.

The Style
This pattern by Kay Unger is very well thought out for a woman with a figure problem or two.(note the draping above the waist)

Level of Difficulty
This is not a pattern for a beginner.The directions are quite hard to follow.If there's anyone out there who is planning on making this,I would be more than happy to help.I spent a considerable amount of time figuring out the steps!


What I liked about the pattern
1.The armholes are just right---not too low,not too high.But I did have to run a line of stay stitching along the back of the armhole to make it fit closer to the body. To see how I do this ,look here.

2.The collar sits very nicely and is well drafted.But I did have to run a line of stitching on the outside under the collar so the lining wouldn't peek out.





3.The neckline is not extremely low.ButI did cut it about an inch higher tapering to nothing by the neck at the shoulder.

4.It is true to size. I usually cut a size 12 with extra at the side seams,but this fabric has no give so instead of the extra at the side seams,I cut a size 14 front and size 12 back and I really love the fit.

It's really rare that I'm completely satisfied with one of my creations and this time is no exception because there are a couple of things about this pattern that I didn't like.

1.The slit at the back does not include a facing and next time I would add one.

2. The length of the dress is not the length given at the back of the pattern envelope.which says that the length from base of neck to hemline is 38".Not so at all. I trusted the pattern but after putting the dress together and realizing that it is shorter than I'd like ,I measured and the pattern piece is only 36" before hemming!1Grrr!!I faced the hem but ,it's still too short.




This is what I did for a Full Bust Adjustment and it worked just fine.I really didn't have a clue what else to do.The photo also shows the addition to the neckline




Advice
Make a sample garment before cutting into your good fabric. I did ,but only to just below the hip.That's why I didn't notice the length.

Well.my husband just took a couple of pics but it's dark now and the lighting is not great but here I am at last in my Mother-of-the-Groom dress.





Now I have to finish packing as we're leaving tomorrow for Ottawa.I don't know if I'm more excited about my baby boy getting married or seeing little Riley???

So thanks in advance for any comments ,good or bad you might have on my dress. It was a challenge but I enjoyed it immensely.

Not What You are Expecting

Well,I'm not quite finished my mother-of-the-groom dress although I've really only got the hem left to do.I don't have any hem tape so I'll pick some up tomorrow when I go to Fredericton and I'll finish the dress and hopefully have some pics and comments to make about the pattern later in the week.

However, I did make another dress this week because I just wanted an easy project to work on and this one fit the bill. I really had fun with it.I used Vogue 8486 which I made up last summer out of a rayon knit.Here it is. I wear this dress a lot but mostly at home on hot days. I find it's very huggy at the chest area and I've been wanting to try it again in a heavier fabric.

If you want an easy to make and extremely comfortable dress to wear on hot days,I highly recommend this pattern. the armholes are perfect (not too low ).The length is just right on my 5'4" frame.It comes to just below the knee on me.And it is pegged at the hemline but still roomy.

Fabricville is having it's 3/1 sale right now and I picked up a few pieces including this stretch cotton poplin print. When I saw it ,I immediately envisioned this pattern.



I made a couple of alterations to the pattern this time around. I made a Full Bust Adjustment of sorts.In other words,I didn't know how to go about it with the pleats at the neck and all,so I just tried this .



It seems to have worked OK.

I also shaped the waist on the side seams and a little at the back seam and I really like the results. The dress isn't quite as boxy now.



Then, since I had these sew-on thingies in black and the neckline was really wanting to be jazzed up, I did this!





This really styled the dress I think. I love it! Here it is!



This black cardi looks great with it too.



I wore it to church today and I still have it on.



Stay tuned for the Mother-of-the-groom dress and the pattern review.It's mostly good but there was one thing that made me Grrrrr! Lol.

Have a great week everyone and I hope you find time to sew!

This and That

This week, I'm feverishly working on the dress for my son's wedding on Aug.1st.. If you remember,a few weeks ago,I said I was using Vogue 1182.



So far,I've altered the pattern,( an FBA and a sway back adjustment),I made a mock-up,raised the neckline about 3/4 of an inch,and have cut the dress and have put it together enough to know that it's a good fit and I love it.When I finish it, I'll give you a few details about the alterations I made. Hopefully,I'll help someone else with this rather difficult pattern.

Tonight,I thought I'd show you a new version of V1109 by Sandra Betzina which I made back in May and never got around to posting it. .


This time I used a cotton knit denim which was advertised as "leggings knit denim" It is a substantial weight but not too heavy for this style.

Although it doesn't show up well in the photos,I sewed double rows of red top stitching to outline all the seams using a double needle to maintain the stretch of the garment..



I cut a size D this time because when I made this version,I found it to be a little too form fitting.

I think my favorite part of this top is the sleeve.I love the way they look and feel when I'm wearing it.



Here it is and for once I managed to end up with a photo that shows the colour well.



Here I have it on with the white denim skirt from my last post but I have to say,it's much too hot to dress like this right now.



I hope you are all having a great weekend so far, and please check back with me in a few days and I'll show you my mother-of-the-groom dress.

Back to Normal

I first want to thank everyone who kindly left me comments about my mum's passing. I hope I answered each of you individually, but in case I didn't,please know that each comment touched me and made me grateful for my cyber friends.

These two little people Riley and Sadie, were a great comfort to me during the most difficult times.



After a few days of much needed rest,I spent a few hours in my sewing room and managed to finish a few items that I'd started before.

The first is a fun top that I really love wearing. The fabric is a knit frilled mesh that I bought in Montreal.



It is a loose interpretation of View B of Simplicity 2374.I didn't have enough fabric to make the extended sides so I just straightened them.



The fabric was surprisingly easy to work with. It was just a matter of cutting the pieces in single layers and matching the frills at the front and back side seams.
I bound the neckline and armholes by using "frills" .The hem was formed by folding up the stripe under the bottom frill.






Here's another piece I had started but only finished Saturday. I used New Look 6345 which is one of my favorite patterns for skirts. I made View A



The fabric is Bull denim and the lining is a cotton voile. I love the results. I was aiming for a casual look so I didn't peg the skirt. It is straight without fitting snugly which makes for a more sporty look,IMO.



I added the pockets from View D




I sewed double rows of top stitching to most seams but to add a little extra
style,I sewed eight rows of stitching to the hem. I really like the result.



Here are the two pieces together.



Here I'm wearing the outfit but this muggy weather makes for bad hair every day so I cut off my head.




Have agreat week everyone!

My Beloved Mother

I've been away from Blogland all through June because my dear mother,who suffered with Alzheimer's for 17 years passed away on June 27th after being bedridden for the past two months.I know she is now resting in peace and it is a great comfort to us that she is in heaven with my two sisters and my brother who all died in childhood.
She was the strongest person I have ever known and I loved her with all my heart.I'm used to missing her because I've been doing so all these years.




PS: We buried my mother in my Easter suit . We wanted her to look like she was going to church on Sunday and this suit seemed to fit the bill. She looked really nice in it with pearls at her neck and a pearl rosary.