Vogue 1283 Tom and Linda Platt Red Dress

See my shrubs in the background? I woke up to a Winter Wonderland today, and decided that I had to get a picture outside. Everything was covered with the most gorgeous frost!

Patternreview.com is having a Red Dress contest for the first two weeks of February. When I saw this brand new Vogue pattern this weekend, I knew just what I wanted to make. This is from Vogue 1283 which is a Tom and Linda Platt design.

I really liked the wave ruching in the front, and the fact that it had long sleeves- a rarity for dress patterns these days. I didn't like that there were no finished garment measurements on the pattern anywhere! I rely on the finished garments to decide what size to make, and if I need to tweak it any. And you couldn't even really guess on your own, because the pattern pieces are really skewed with the ruching. So, I cut it out a size bigger than I thought I'd need, and I added 3 inches to the length. Turns out I'm glad I did. This is a CLOSE FITTING and SHORT design.

Of course your fabric choice will make a huge difference in how it fits. I can tell that my fabric was too thin. I used a lightweight rayon jersey that I got from fabricmartfabrics.com for $1.99/yd. The dress has a self lining, so I didn't want anything too heavy or thick. But it definitely needs something a little more substantial to show off the ruching- probably an ITY knit would be good.

And even with the 3 inches in length added, this is way above my knee! (I'm 5"9" for reference.)

Close-up of the wave. (I'm not really that busty- just a weird angle!)

Was the "wave" hard? No, not at all. This is where I have to give Vogue a standing ovation. Their markings were spot on, and as long as you mark the fabric, you'll have no trouble figuring out where things go.

Wow is that a BRIGHT red outside! It doesn't seem so bright inside. I'd love to wear it with a black cardigan to make it more wearable for work, but then it would hide the pretty wave design.

Anyway- I DO recommend this pattern. Just use a heavier fabric than I used, and make sure to check the length before you cut if you are tall like me!

-Ann

What to Wear in Madagascar

To be honest, I have no idea what to wear in Madagascar, and this title may need to be changed to "what NOT to wear in Madagascar" in a few months. We will have to wait and see. My 22 year old daughter, Alyssa, left for the Peace Corps this week, and she will be stationed in Madagascar for the next 2 years and 3 months. Yes, you read that right- TWO YEARS and three months!!! We are very proud of her for wanting to help make the world a better place, and for being fearless in doing so, but it will be a looooong time for Mama and Papa back home. Not knowing anything about Madagascar, the first step in figuring out what to pack was to figure out the weather and the cultural norms. Madagascar is a very large island off the southeastern coast of Africa. It's very, very unique in it's ecosystem, and has many species that are not found anywhere else in the world- most famously lemurs. Right now, it is experiencing it's rainy season, as you can see by t...

Giveaway Day

The popular blog SewMamaSew is sponsoring a Giveaway Day! We are participating and would like to offer a prize of 3 SewBaby patterns! To enter, just comment about which SewBaby pattern you would like to win the most. We will ship internationally, and the prize winner will be selected randomly on December 6th. Make sure to leave a way for us to contact you if you are the winner! You will get to choose which three patterns are your prize!

Vogue 9305 Asymmetrical Tunics

It's April and we're expecting snow tonight. Have we switched hemispheres? Nevertheless, I am sewing with visions of warm sunny days. And for those warm sunny days to come, I imagine sitting in the shade with a light breeze flowing through the air, enjoying a light beverage with friends. Just close your eyes and you can imagine too. What would you be wearing? Well, I love a dramatic asymmetrical tunic made of the softest linen. As luck would have it, I found just the fabric in the "As Is" section in Fabric Mart's sales category. With just some irregular dye marks on the selvage, it was marked down, but still completely usable. It started out as a solid color, but I did an ombre dip dye process to get this look- more on that later! For my pattern, I chose Vogue 9305 , a tunic with a shaped hemline, and two styles of pants (I didn't make the pants). This pattern must be the biggest bang for your ti...

LoriFebruary 6, 2012 at 10:49 PM
Your dress is stunning!
shamsFebruary 6, 2012 at 11:26 PM
Really gorgeous!
VanessaFebruary 7, 2012 at 8:13 AM
Nothing beats a beautiful red dress! You look lovely!
JDayMinisFebruary 7, 2012 at 6:22 PM
I agree with Vanessa, red is a fabulous colour and it suits you so well. What a wonderful design.
grammyFebruary 7, 2012 at 7:59 PM
You look gorgeous - great job!
ShariFebruary 8, 2012 at 5:58 AM
Red looks great on you! Love it.
LisaFebruary 8, 2012 at 2:53 PM
Stunning dress , you look beautiful.
Pam ErnyFebruary 12, 2012 at 9:31 AM
Hi Ann...wow! That is one gorgeous dress...and looks fabulous on you!
TekoppFebruary 13, 2012 at 4:04 PM
Looking great, and really inspiring for me as I want to try that design as well ;)
AudreyFebruary 15, 2012 at 11:55 AM
You look fabulous in this dress. Red is definitely your color.
MushyWearFebruary 24, 2012 at 12:29 AM
You look gorgeous in this dress! The first photo with the frosty bushes is fantastic!
JENNIFER February 29, 2012 at 12:58 PM
You look absolutely fabulous!!!!!
House of PinheiroMarch 4, 2012 at 1:58 PM
amazing. My mom loved your dress.
MartinJune 10, 2012 at 2:08 PM
Are you looking for good quality and stylish ladies pants ! so please check this out this store has very affordable high quaity varriety of ladies pants.

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AnonymousApril 28, 2013 at 6:23 PM
That is so sexy. I saw it on Pella's site and started Googling for other makes and this is just awesome. Love that colour on you.

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