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Saturday 16 April 2011

Vogue 1108 Finished!

With an entire afternoon to spare, what a luxury!





I do wish I had had more time to spend on the dress, the workmanship on this is not perfect and it would have been nice to explore a few couture techniques, but I figured it was better still to get it finished!

Vogue rates this pattern as average which since it has a boned foundation surprised me, but fortunately for me with my time constraints, for the most part I agree. The dress itself is fairly straightforward to sew and I followed the instructions which are good. Marking all the pleats is time consuming and without a doubt the worst part was sewing the straps to the back of the dress. I did start to wonder part way through this process if I could have treated this like a lined sleeveless sheath and pulled the lining through the shoulder seams - I'm not sure, impossible with the boning? If you make this I suggest leaving the lower ends of the straps open longer than you think otherwise trying to manipulate the seam and it's many layers under the machine is no fun.

Tracing Burda patterns is good practice for following these pleat lines!

Other changes I made to the pattern are as follows;
  • Obviously extended it to full length, just by lengthening the bottom of the skirt. I added a slit on the same side as the zipper so I can freely move in it.
  • One of the shoulder straps is supposed to be left open and fasten with a hook and eye. I get why they wanted to do this, you can then step into the dress rather than putting it on over your head, but the risk of wardrobe malfunctions just seemed too great! I think it would not have looked as neat either. The zip opening is very long so it is still pretty easy to get in and out of (without messing up your hair and getting the dress covered in make up hopefully!).
  • The suggested fabric for the foundation is china silk with a layer of interfacing. I thought this would be too flimsy so I used my lining (a silk satin), a layer of cotton batiste and a layer of interfacing. This might explain why I had so much trouble with the shoulder straps but it feels much more stable. I applied the interfacing to the cotton batiste, then cut the lining much larger, basted round the edges and trimmed off the excess - the same method I use when underlining with a slippy material.
  • I left off the piping on the neckline, there isn't piping anywhere else on the dress so I thought I would keep it simple. In retrospect this was a good move, another couple of layers in those strap seams and I would probably still be sewing.
  • I was paranoid about getting water spots on my fabric so when pressing I used a dry iron. This I think is the main reason why my shoulder straps look narrower - mine are more padded and rounded rather than banged flat.
The foundation really helps keep all the pleats in place and stops any drooping of the back neckline - I could have made it very tight in the back instead, but this stye of dress is quite restrictive on the arms at the best of times so the foundation actually makes the dress more comfortable to wear. It does extend to the hip, but the boning finishes at the waist so I hope I will be able to sit down and eat in it. We will find out in a few hours!



I will take more photos tonight when I am wearing it and post those next time.


I don't know why my dressform is listing over like this, I will probably look the same by the end of the night!

61 comments:

  1. It is gorgeous! What a wonderful dress.

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  2. Beautiful! Have a wonderful evening! Love the fabric you chose.

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  3. I love it - that colour is just stunning!
    ~Alana

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  4. Yes, beautiful. Have a great time.

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  5. Beautiful! Have a great time :)

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  6. It looks fab. And such a great colour too. Looking forward to seeing it on you!

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  7. Wow, that is really stunning! I hope you have a wonderful time and I bet you get many comments. I don't think your dressform looks as bad listing over like that as the model on the pattern envelope ... someone should tell her to stand up straight!

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  8. Umm, ok hotness! That is fantastic. You are going to look like a zillion dollars.

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  9. Fabulous!! That bow is totally wonderful.

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  10. Beautiful! I'm especially impressed that you finished it with time to spare!

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  11. Gorgeous! Hope you have a wonderful time!

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  12. Beautiful dress, you did a fabulous job on the construction! You will look wonderful in it!

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  13. Very regal. Looking forward to see photos of you wearing it.

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  14. I've thought about making this pattern, too. Can't wait to see a picture of you wearing it--it is just beautiful! Congrats on your choice of fabric and pattern!

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  15. Beautiful! I can't wait to see the dress on you. BTW, that picture of the pattern piece gave me a headache :)

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  16. Gorgeous! It truly is a eyecatcher. Enjoy the evening!

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  17. Nice job! You really did whip this up, I'm amazed at how fast you work.

    It looks absolutely amazing on the form, and I can't wait to see how it looks on you. I hope you have a stunning necklace to wear with it.

    Have a lovely time!

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  18. A generous and wonderful review.Thank you.

    It is truly lovely.

    I can't wait to make this dress....but I don't have a ball to go to!!!!

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  19. Oh My Goodness!!!

    The dress is beyond gorgeous! I know you're going to look fabulous in it.

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  20. Wow, it is just gorgeous! Have a great time... can't wait to see more pics.

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  21. VavaVOOM!!!! It's gorgeous. I love how deep and sharp those pleats looks. Perfect dress. Can't wait to see pics of it on you! Have fun.

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  22. It's SO pretty, Allison! The fabric color is divine. Have a great time! I can't wait to see pictures of you wearing it!

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  23. The dress looks beautiful. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of you wearing it. Have a great time at the event.

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  24. Allison, the dress is absolutely stunning! I hope we get to see pictures of you wearing it!

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  25. Beautiful, love a dress with an oragami quality of pleats and folds. thanks for the inside scoop on construction.

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  26. What a beautiful dress. Very impressive.

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  27. Gorgeous dress! Hope you have fun at your event (and hope we get to see some pictures of the dress on)!

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  28. Wow, that's a major undertaking, congratulations for getting it done in time. It looks wonderful. Have fun at your party!

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  29. Oh WOW! I cannot wait to see pictures of you wearing this beautiful concoction. Superb!!!

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  30. What a fabulous dress! I love it full length. Your version is so lovely--much nicer than the pattern picture. I can't wait to see a picture of it on you.

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  31. AMAZING! You are going to be the belle of the ball tonight! Have a great time!!!

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  32. Your dress is beautiful. Take her out and show her off!

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  33. This looks so sophisticated! Love how it turned out, hope you´re having a wonderful time!

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  34. It turned out beautiful. Cant wait to see pics of you in it.

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  35. What a beautiful dress, Alison. Wear it with pride!

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  36. Beautiful dress. Post a pic with you wearing it.

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  37. Wow Allison, what a stunning dress! It is beautiful.

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  38. Very nice. I bet you look gorgeous. Many years ago, I "helped' a young woman who was learning to sew make her prom gown. She really did work hard on it, but what a task. My best friend was her Big Buddy and had given her a sewing machine. Beth made sure she experienced a lot outside the Projects where she lived. As she grew up, she spent more and more time with us older women. Beth helped her get her teeth fixed, encouraged her to go to college with me helping move her in and out of her dorm every fall and spring (I drive a Toyota pickup) for a couple of years until she transfered and moved out of town. Mary was great fun to be around and truly loved her sewing machine. Before she moved she purchased a better quality machine and gave hers to her sister, who was very happy to have a machine of her own. She truly is a success story. Mary is working and successful but she could not have done it without help. I bet she still has the sewing machine, but she says she lost weight in college and the gown didn't fit her any longer.

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  39. Great dress, great colour - great job!

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  40. Gorgeous! Looking forward to seeing the real photos!

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  41. Love the dress! Can't wait to see pictures of you in it.

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  42. Breathtaking! Awesome! Gorgeous! Congrats.

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  43. It looks fabulous. Hope you had a fabulous time at the event!

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  44. That gown is lovely!!! I hope you had a wonderful time.

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  45. Phenomenal, Allison! I know you will look gorgeous in this dress. Well done!

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  46. Add 'I can whip up a delicious ball gown in a hurry' to your resume! You'll be the belle of the ball.

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  47. PHOTOS! Bravo! You are such a pro!

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  48. It's gorgeous! You are going to be a stunner in this one.

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  49. Gorgeous! Your dress turned out FANTASTIC!! You are going to feel wonderful wearing this.

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  50. Your dress looks amazing. Bravo!

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  51. What a spectacular gown and an amazing colour. It is truly stunning and I can't wait to see pictures of you wearing it.

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  52. It's fabulous! You are very good at putting together fabric and pattern and knowing what looks flattering on you. A wonderful dress.

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  53. What a beautiful gown! I love it. I hope you had a wonderful evening!

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