Thursday, August 29, 2013

Vogue 1351: the full report

I love to travel, and I love to stay home too.  This time I'm chez moi for my vacation.  I love love love spring and summer.  It is a joy to be home this week! (btw, why are people afraid of retiring? This is great!   Go to the gym for 8am class, go to the supermarket at 9:30, no one is there, no lines at the checkout, take a nap after lunch, sew in the afternoon, eat dinner outside, bliss!!)

I started this dress, Vogue 1351, on Monday night and finished it up last night.   I think this was a 15 hour dress. I sewed a 14 in the bust grading to a 12 in the waist and hips (I know, usually it's the reverse, but it seemed to work for the muslin, which I had cut as 14 originally and then sewed down to a 12 except in the bust).

Vogue 1351 DONE!
Beth of SunnyGal Studio was the first person to put this on the map for me, and I bought it right away during a BMV pattern sale.  Like Beth, I kind of can't believe I actually sewed a pattern during the season in which it was released!
Vogue 1351 DONE!
They included this brochure of their summer patterns
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Pretty neat, huh?
And it had some close-up pix of 1351:
Vogue 1351 DONE!
I tried to replicate the pose, but without a red bobbed wig and crazy shoes, it's not the same:
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Now I realize I'n not even looking the right way!  But I think the crazy Vogue poses are fun.  Beats a sketch on the front of an envelope every time.
I really enjoy my leaping shots, though.  I might have to do that for every outfit.  Who wants to leap with me??
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Requisite shots:
Back (is it too short? I cut an inch off)
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Vogue 1351 done!
I think I like it best with the red belt...
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Ok, I'm fessing up about the cowl.  I tried to raise it using a technique I blogged about in the spring, but somehow I messed it up.  I'm not going to show you what I did this time, since I messed it up and I'm not really sure where I messed it up.  I had tried it on my muslin but in the real deal it wasn't the same.   So the neckline at the shoulders is not like what's on the pattern envelope.  The net effect is that the shoulder seam is forward on the dress, and the overall neckline there is a little strange. BUT it doesn't look as bad as I thought it did two nights ago.  It's a "design feature", right???   And of course it is not as deep as it was as I took out about 1.25 inches each side...If I hadn't done that, the cowl would be too low for my tastes and I would have been staring at my chest all day and readjusting the cowl constantly.
Vogue 1351 DONE!
I sewed with 1/4" SA for the back neck and armholes, so there is more coverage overall.
Especially for armpits.
Sewing with 1/4" SA is what Janet Pray does for much of her Craftsy class, so I felt that was legit and it bought me extra coverage at the same time.
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Invisible zip is invisible.
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Blind hem is blind.
Vogue 1351 DONE!
The fabric is from Kashi (Metro Textiles) in NYC. Maria (velosewer) and I each bought a few yards of it when we met up in June. The fabric is totally synthetic, so no wrinkles, which as you may know is a life goal of mine, yay!  As for being synthetic, the fabric doesn't feel too plastic-y nor rough.   I'm not sure how much it was per yard, but knowing Kashi, I'd say $8 a yard or less. The spongy texture is great. It's navy in color. I bought two yards. Kashi has generous cuts, and I have about 3/4 of it leftover, enough to make a skirt. (it's ~60" wide).
Vogue 1351 DONE!


Oh!  and it's supposed to be cut on the bias, but I didn't, because of the horizontal lines in the fabric.

The lining is a black silk/cotton blend voile and was a splurge at $18 a yard at Mood. I bought it with Mary during MPB Day, specifically to line a different dress and a skirt. Well, um, it's lining this dress now.  It was not 60" wide, so this took about 2 of the 3 yards I bought.   I know I'm a bad blogger for not ironing the lining after putting it in. I did iron the seams but after sewing the lining to the dress, I wasn't sure about ironing the synthetic fabric.

I'm sure you'll forgive me.

Here you can see how the front cowl edge is sewn to the lining, which *is* very clever.  The cowl is not going to flop out, that's for sure.
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Because I cut an inch off the bottom of my dress, and I knew I was going to use my rolled hem foot to finish the edge of the lining, I cut an inch and a half off the lining--I didn't need to cut off that much.  Oh well.  It would be nice if the lining was a bit longer.

I used the slipstitching technique that Diana Rupp writes about in her book SEW Sew Everything Workshop, it's also in her Craftsy class Sewing Studio, for sewing the lining to the invisible zip.
Vogue 1351 DONE!
The lining feels FANTASTIC.  Silk/cotton blend is a dream.  I have been afraid of silk, thinking it's not machine washable, but this washed up fine.  I even put it in the dryer, still fine (btw I never dry dresses in the dryer so this will be washed in the washing machine and then line dried).
Vogue 1351 DONE!
So, like my jeans and another woven dress this spring, I embroidered my name and the date and a little heart into the lining before sewing the lining to the dress.  I drew it on with chalk first, then stitched right over it.
\Vogue 1351 DONE!
Trumbelina did something similar recently, except she really knows how to embroider, and I'm just winging it.  I love her little bird.

Vogue 1351 DONE!
I wore this dress out today for lunch with my parents and my 97 year old great aunt Iris.
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Overall I like it! I really like the fit. And I'm warming to the cowl.


Then I went to the Princeton Farmer's Market...Today I got two bunches of cosmos. Basically I want every flower he sells but I'm trying to restrain myself to two bunches.
Princeton Farmers Market flowers
Congrats if you made it this far!
Vogue 1351 DONE!
Questions:

  1. Red belt or no belt?
  2. Is it too short?
  3. Is the neckline too weird?
  4. Will you leap with me?

Discuss!
and Be well!

16 comments:

  1. Very well done, Kyle! The cowl is fine, despite having an error in the alteration. The fit across the back is spot on. You did a great job. I think the dress looks very chic with the red skinny belt. That's a nice picture of your family, too. =)

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  2. Looks fabulous! I love the red belt.

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  3. Love the red belt. Would never have thought anything bad about the cowl had you not mentioned it, and I still don't see anything. ;-) Length is great. I think you have a winner here. Great shot with your family.

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  4. I like this a lot! I think cut on the bias would have been a fun play on the subtle horizontal texture of the fabric. I can see this dress in a menswear pinstripe too. The fit and the cowl look great to me, as does the length. And I usually always wash my silks although not silk dupioni. Silk is a fabulously strong fabric even though it feels flimsy and shifty.

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  5. I love reading your blog. You are very talented and quite entertaining. I don't see any oddness in the cowl. The dress fits you perfectly, great job. No, not too short. Belted or not, both look good.

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  6. Love the dress, and I love the leap! If only I could still do that, afraid now I might hurt myself. I love the red belt on it. And too short? I think it is a perfect length for you. Well sewn! Well fitted.

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  7. Your dress is lovely, perfect in fact!
    Red belt with another red accessory but without or navy is good too.
    I love that fabric!

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  8. Pretty dress and fabulous fit. The red belt is the perfect accessory.

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  9. Love the red belt! The length is great too. :)

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  10. Red belt or no belt? Definitely.

    Is it too short? Perfect for you

    Is the neckline too weird? Still looks fine to me.

    Will you leap with me? Sure.

    I like the classic pairing of red and navy. This is a good look for you.

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  11. Love this dress! The fabric is really cool. The red belt is a great accessory for this dress. :)

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  12. Whatever you did wrong with the neckline, you better remember it and do it again, cause it looks great. Love the length, love the read belt, love it all on you. Very flattering.

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  13. Great job! You look good and I love the fabric.

    Rose in SV

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  14. Looks great Kyle! I made this dress too but in a floral knit- its one of my favorites. I didn't have issues with the cowl but it fits my C bust well out of the envelope. I love navy and red and that fabric is so cool. Great job on the zipper- you are a master at inserting a great looking invisible!

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  15. Oh, trust me... I am winging it too!! I think there's a brownie badge in my past related to embroidery, so maybe there's muscle memory involved. I love your embroidery! And your dress! As always you can tell there was a lot of effort put into this by way of the perfect fit. The cowl also looks just right.

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  16. I do like it with the belt -- I feel like a cheery turquoise would also be nice with the navy. I don't think the hemline is too short, and jumping pictures are always a good idea. =)

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