Vogue 1395 Rebecca Taylor Dress

Firstly thank you for the comments on my shirt making post, it's helpful to know it's not just me that finds shirts difficult, but also to get some recommendations for improving my skills.  I will definitely look into the famous David Page Coffin book and Pam Howard's Craftsy class.  Also I really should mention it more often, but since I live in Hong Kong practically all my fabric comes from local stores and markets here or in China which I know is of no help to anyone hoping to source the same fabric, sorry!

Back on more familiar territory now - dresses!  This is Vogue 1395 by Rebecca Taylor in a polka dot linen.

I cut this out and started it in a print fabric ages ago before I realised that you need a fabric that looks at least similar on both sides otherwise the tie looks a mess so I abandoned it.  This is clearly stated on the pattern envelope so I only have myself to blame.  I guess you could self line the tie portion of the overlay if you're really set on a certain fabric?  My penchant for buying crazy print fabric has meant it has taken me a while to get around to attempting this dress again.

I had already cut in a size 10, I would usually start with a 12 now, but fortunately this pattern is pretty forgiving in fit.  I lengthened the skirt by around 5cm as it looked pretty short and also raised the neckline a bit.

It's quite easy to put together, there is a lot of narrow hemming to do around all the overlay edges which is a bit time consuming.  Once the bodice was put together I just breezed on ahead without looking at the instructions and so forgot to catch the centre back portion of the overlay in the waist seam.  When the overlay is tied in place I decided it wouldn't make much difference so I have left it loose.



While I did find a fabric that met the two sides look the same criteria, this linen was a bit stiff for the design, particularly in the sleeve/shoulder area and my sleeves stick out a bit.  I absolutely hate altering anything so I am hoping that the fabric will soften with wear and washing, but if not I will have to make the shoulders narrower.

So to summarise, this is a lovely easy to wear dress pattern, but fabric selection is really important!