Vogue's 2011 bestseller

Photos from Style.com

Vogue 1224

You can now count me among the many who have made Vogue 1224, the Tracy Reese knit pullover dress that has won many hearts.  It seems all seamstresses are pulling out their wild jersey prints for this one, and so did I.

Fabric
I used a lightweight rayon/lycra jersey, originally purchased Summer 2010 at Pacific Fabrics, a local fabric store chain.


Notes on construction/alterations
One feature of this dress is an elastic waist that hits probably at the natural waist or higher on most people. I noticed that many other reviewers of this pattern lengthened the bodice and lengthened the skirt, but I decided to keep both as drafted.  I'm just a bit short-waisted so this worked for me.

When the weather's not exactly warm enough for a dress, I wear it as a tunic with pants.

The pattern calls for the skirt to be lined.  I used the same fashion fabric for the skirt lining and I deviated from the pattern instructions in that I assembled them as you would a bubble skirt - I'd much rather stitch one seam than two hems.  Because the lining is shorter, you can't tell at all when I'm wearing it.

Conclusion
I'm still breastfeeding so I continue to scrutinize garments as to whether they provide easy nursing access.  It turns out that Vogue 1224 is a stylish option for all the nursing mamas out there!

The neckline drawstring is actually a length of elastic with a fashion fabric tie stitched to each end.  The elastic is entirely hidden within the drawstring casing but it means the neckline has tremendous stretch (and recovery!).  So, this pattern is a winner in my book.

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I finished BurdaStyle Magazine's 6-2011-104 button-up shirt but still need to get some pictures.  Coming soon...

Adding on to the to-do list

Thanks for you feedback on the Blumarine dress!  It definitely feels good to sew for myself again.  I'm working on another garment from the June 2011 issue of Burda Magazine, I've got it cut out and will start sewing tonight:

BurdaStyle Magazine 6-2011-104

In my previous post, I mentioned that I'm trying to sew up my stash, since most of my fabric still resides in my daughter's room which used to be my sewing space.  I really want to clear it out so there's more room for her things, plus, when I think of something I need and it's after her bedtime, I have to sneak in to her room and use the light of my mobile phone to silently rummage around and find what I need, which is kinda inconvenient...  Marie asked where I'm sewing now.  Now we have a room that does triple duty as an office, a guest room, and my sewing room.  I have a dedicated table set up for my machine, and basically I take over the bed with fabric and patterns anytime we don't have guests.

So I didn't help matters today when I came home with 4 pieces of fabric from the thrift store!  And that was me being good.

I believe all are cotton.  (Left to right) The patchwork gingham print was too cute to pass up, perhaps it would be considered vintage, it's certainly older.  I was thinking it would be fun to make large shaped pillows (heart, house, bunny, alphabet, etc) for L.  The navy is a lightweight shirting with a subtle woven stripe, I've been wanting a navy summer dress.  The aqua fabric is a sheer woven voile (?) that I'm going to use to make another beach cover-up using BWOF 7-2008-123.  We are going to Nantucket at the end of the month so I'm mentally starting to pack (and panic about having nothing to wear) for that.  The red gingham will become something for L, because shouldn't all little girls wear gingham?  I actually hit the gingham jackpot at the thrift store today - they also had yellow, green (both large checks and small checks), and aqua, and it was all I could do to not buy them all.

Burda/Blumarine wrap dress

The last thing I need in my wardrobe right now is an animal print wrap dress, but I just couldn’t help myself! I’ve already traced 2 patterns from the June 2011 issue of Burda magazine, which was exciting after nearly a year of issues that didn’t thrill me.

BurdaStyle magazine 6-2011-139

Photos from style.com

I am a sucker for a sewing pattern that has a designer’s name attached to it, and the Blumarine wrap dress in the latest issue of Burda was no exception. The dress is from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection, which is full of soft color and animal prints.

I was even more excited once I realized that I already had the nearly perfect fabric for this dress (I am on a mission to sew up my stash - which is taking up precious real estate in a huge dresser in my daughter’s room (AKA my former sewing room – sigh…)). In 2009, I bought an animal print jersey during my vacay in Italy . Bingo – animal print Italian fabric to go with the Italian label dress!

Fabric
Rayon/lycra jersey (I think) from Bassetti Tessuti in Rome, Italy.

Notes on construction/alterations
I made my pre-pregnancy size 38, but I could have probably benefitted from a 40 in the waist and the hips.  Even though I'm back to my pre-baby weight on the scale, my measurements aren't there yet, a fact about which I'm still in denial.  The line drawing and runway dresses appear much more loose and drapey in fit than my dress does.

The Burda magazine instructions do not call for any interfacing at all in this dress, but I decided to apply interfacing to one side of the collar and one side of the front band.  The jersey I used is super soft, so I used Sew Exciting's Pro-Sheer Elegance, it's a barely-there fusible interfacing and was perfect for this project.  I also fused bias tape to the shoulder seams to prevent them from stretching out.

If you decide to interface the collar, it's important to use something that leaves the collar very soft and malleable.  The collar and the front band are both stitched to the bodice along the same stitching line, and the collar needs to be able to fold back over the front band.

The bell sleeves are fun, the perfect long length (on me, at least) as drafted, but they do have a tendency to slide and bunch up around your elbows if you lift your hand up (i.e. while sipping a cocktail, as one very well might be doing when wearing a dress like this).  In fact, while I wore this dress, I was thinking about the thumbholes that Trena added to her ballerina wrap sweater...

Conclusion
We had a babysitter booked for Saturday night, and I finished this just in time to be my date-night dress.  The v-neck of my dress isn't as low as me as it appears in the runway garments (all a matter of how much you cinch the dress I think), but I still needed a U plunge bra in order to not have to worry about exposed undergarments.  If I were to make this again, I would add some length to the skirt, since I personally think this would look best on me if it hit right at the knee.  And, I would love to raid Tany 's jewelry box for the perfect bling to accessorize this!

More comfy sleep set PJs

I am having too much fun making PJs for L.  Here's another set of the Stitch Magazine Comfy Sleep Set PJs that I first showed you in my previous post .  The dark pink fabric is from an old t-shirt I was about to donate and the other fabrics and ribbing are from the stash.  L is just starting to stand on her own and walk, so here she is showing off her new skill.

Photo from www.green-cotton.dk

I was inspired by these pajamas that I found on www.green-cotton.dk (the direct link to this product no longer exists).  I like the mix of fabrics and the knee patches.

Miss Sarah asked if I hemmed the two front bodice pieces together or separately - I hemmed the them together as one.

Now that the evenings are getting warmer, I may adapt the pattern to make short sleeves instead of long and shorts instead of pants.