Vogue 1191 - Part V - the end

For the last 3 weeks my car has been at the mechanics.  They haven't been able to work out what is wrong with it, but just as I started this post I got a call from them.   They have discovered that the problem is .... mice!   A nest was found way up inside the car and the mice had eaten their way through the covering on the electrical wires.     Mice!!!!!   Who would think!

Unfortunately, the result of this is extremely costly.   Those are very high maintenance mice!  Oh dear... have to think about that after Melbourne.  Don't want to put a crimp in my fabric shopping plans.

Now, back to the dress.  Have you had the experience of the muslin going together beautifully and the actual garment being a pain?  This is one of those.  

Step 20 of the Vogue instructions requires you to sew the centre back seam. 

Step 21 requires you to now pin / baste the skirt to the bodice.    Note that you aren't twisting the skirt like a twist top, you are just pulling the centre-back (which is hanging in front in the photo above) across to where it belongs at the back, and that creates the twisty effect.

Inside out the back will now look like this.

Right side out the front looks like this.  

Step 22 - 23 make the inside waist facing. 

Step 24 pin the facing to the basted waist seam and stitch.  The instructions make this look oh so clean and easy - I had really thick messy layers of fabric in the front, particularly through the pleated section.  

Trim and turn down facing.   Then tack it to front and back seams to keep in place.

Easy peasy from now on.  Sleeves - I did 2cm seams as they were a bit loose - tapering to 1.5cm at the underarm.  

And hem.   I used a twin needle for all the hems.

The final tidy up - as I had a bigger gap in the front than I think I should have (which I mentioned in the earlier post - to do with Step 8), I catchstitched the top of the pleats to the bottom of the cross pleat. You can't see it when it is on.

The messy stitching is my machine basting - all of that was removed at the end.

So, finally - the dress!  Looks lovely on the dressform doesn't it?

The black version, on me.    

Oh, I loved this until I saw the photos of it on me!  It's alright but it does look much more glam on the dressform doesn't it?  It looks more pedestrian on me.  I can kind of see why Vogue doesn't recommend this for rectangular body shapes - it creates a bit of a bulbous effect round the middle, given the pleating.     

 

I would love to hear others' experiences with this pattern.  It has some of the most confusing instructions I've come across in a while, or is that just me?

 

Off to Melbourne tomorrow and all those lovely fabric shops......

Vogue 1191 Part III Construction

The green Vogue 1191 dress is progressing... slowly.   

There are only 4 pattern pieces and yet this is marked as 'Advanced'.  The sewing techniques are standard for a knit dress, but working out how to put this together is the challenge and some of the instructions are head scratchers.

I've taken photos of all the steps in case it helps anyone else attempting this.   My construction is a bit different than the pattern as I left out the zip and raised the neckline.

Transferring all the pattern markings is key (my preference - sewing carbon paper and a tracing wheel).

There are a fair few pleats and darts to contend with.

I''m using wooly nylon thread in the sewing machine bobbin.   I sewed the skirt centre front seam first (rather than at pattern step 3) - it was easier to visualise what is what and which side of the jersey is the right side.

Pattern Step 1 has you reinforce here and clip.

 Step 2 has you turn in the upper part and edgestitch it. 

Step 4 - machine baste the waist pleats.

Step 5 -stitch the waist darts.

Press them all flat.

 

Step 6 -sew the shoulder pleats and press them.

 

Sew the waist dart in the facing and then trim it and press.

Next post - how to raise the neckline and the final part of step 6 onwards.   Otherwise this is going to be a loooooooong post....

Vogue 1191 Part II and a quickie cardi

I've finished the prototype Michael Kors dress aka Vogue 1191.  This started off as a muslin but I've got a feeling that I am going to love the prototype even more than the green final version.    

Putting this dress together was a bit of a puzzle, but it is well worth the effort. 

I'm really surprised it fits so well - maybe it is one of those wonder dresses like a wrap dress that manages to accommodate lots of body types and heights.    I thought I would have to do a Full Bust Adjustment but now the neckline has been sewn up I may be able to get away with it.   It is only the bodice facing that is tight - the outer bodice has pleating so is roomier.   

It was cold outside today and couldn't quite face getting in the dress and photographing it on me!

I'll take some pics of the construction process for this pattern when I make the green version - much easier to see on green fabric.

It even has a nice inside as there is a inner waist facing hiding all the messy seams.

I've cut out the green version of the dress, but did a short detour to a simple jacket - although mine looks more like a cardigan.  

This cute jacket is from Burda 09/2008.  The pattern has exposed seams on the collar finish and sleeve bands.

Mine isn't as cute - I didn't have such a fine wool jersey and only had one zip.   I used a Vera Wang Lavender 'wool jersey', one of the great collection of reduced VW fabrics that Fabric.com had last year.  In real life it is more of a sweater knit, and a bit scratchy so I have lined my cardi. 

I added an exposed zip and brass buttons.

I would love to find an online source for Riri zips, they make every other zip look drab.  I bought a few last year from Britex - although I haven't really done the zip justice in this case.  My zip was shorter than the pattern requires so it ends short of the waistband - I thought the jacket was going to be too short and hoped it wouldn't be too noticeable - but seeing it on the dressform.... hmmm maybe it is.   Can I bear the thought of taking off the waistband and shortening the length?  I'm not planning on wearing it done up. 

I'll think about that one... meanwhile onto the green dress....

Vogue 1191 Michael Kors dress - Part 1

A couple of posts ago I complained about McCalls/Butterick/Vogue vastly increasing the shipping and handling charges for international customers.

The lovely Melissa, Curious Kiwi, has spotted that the company has just dropped its rates.    That is fantastic!   It seems that they have listened to their customers and reconsidered the price hike.   

Yeah for McCalls!   

I acquired this fab Michael Kors pattern pre-shipping-hike.

I'm a bit apprehensive as to what this is going to look like on me as the 'figure flattery' indication on the envelope says that it suits every figure type BUT mine.  But so far, the muslin is looking ok.  I LOVE THIS DRESS!   If you have any curves, this makes you feel like you are channelling your inner Sophia Loren in a 1960s Italian movie.  It is glam! 

I'm going to a wedding in early October and this is a potential outfit.    The prototype is in a black poly jersey (don't worry, I'm not wearing black to the wedding!) - I have a green jersey for the final version.  

Clearly, I'll have to make a couple of changes - there is no front!  I'll do a full bust adjustment and make the neckline higher - This is definitely an A or B cup dress out of the packet.  As is, it is open almost to my tummy button and opens out even more when the sleeves are on.  Yikes! 

The instructions are mind boggling, although I don't envy Vogue trying to describe twisting fabric in words.  Some steps I could only work out by putting it on the dress form and playing around with it.  

I'm taking lots of photos of the steps which I will post as I go.    I have a blissful afternoon and evening of pure, uninterrupted sewing ahead.