Summer Dresses Vogue 8645 and 8647

I've been in a dress sewing mood lately, although I haven't had much time, so I've been trying to pick patterns that are simple and quick.  I've found that Vogue usually does this really, really well with their Very Easy Vogue pattern line.  This first dress is from Vogue 8645.  Their description: loose-fitting, pullover, lined dresses A, B have front and back v-neck, removable shoulder ties, side seam pockets and sash.

The fabric I chose is a sheer silk cotton blend from Vera Wang, and I lined it with a very lightweight dark grey lining.  It feels scrumptiously lightweight- like wearing a butterfly.  And yes, it was Very Easy!  I will definitely be making this one again if the right sheer fabric comes along.  It does take quite a bit of fabric.  I had 3-1/2 yards of this fabric which was just enough, as it is a very full skirt.  I cut the hem right in between the two versions as my fabric wasn't quite wide enough to get the full length of the long version.

My next one was Vogue 8647- Pullover dresses A, B are straight, fitted with front pleats, back slit and stitched hems. B: short sleeves with stitched hem. A, B: 2" above mid-knee length.

I chose this one because my fabric had this gorgeous large paisley design that I didn't want to break up.  The back does have a center seam so that it can have a walking slit in the back, so I did have to carefully layout the pattern to make sure that the paisley matched up at the center back seam.

This one uses single fold bias tape to finish the neckband, which I love.  A more traditional pattern would have used a facing, which would require a bunch of extra steps and time.  From these pictures, I wouldn't say it's the most flattering design on me, so I will probably add a belt to it, to give it a little more shape.  But I would definitely recommend this pattern too, if you have a large print to work with.

I did do a cheater's full bust adjustment on both.  I call it a cheater's adjustment, because it technically falls short of a traditional full bust adjustment in that I don't make a dart or add length to the front.  I got this method from a Burda Plus magazine article, and it just works great for me because it also adds width to the waist which I need.  You basically slash a couple inches below the armhole towards the bustpoint, and then slash up to the center of the shoulder seam.  Then separate this as much as you need- I usually do an inch for a DD cup size.  Fill in the open area with extra tissue.  Then I add extra width to the side seam below so that it blends.  You'll notice that there is an additional inch of length now at the side seam.  What Burda recommends is to take half of that measurement and raise the back underarm and lower the front underarm each by that amount.  What I usually do is to just add the extra inch to the back length.  This might not work for everyone, but it works for me, and is really a breeze to do. 

More dresses to come!

Ann