Completed: Vogue Sheath Dress

Vogue 8319.

Is my new best friend.

It's a semi-fitted sheath dress with raglan sleeves and a back zipper closure. There are princess seam darts, and it's fully lined. 

I was planning to make the coat included with the pattern. In fact, I spent hours bent over cutting a plaid fabric (the envelope states that it's not suitable for plaids, and now I know why) and was ready to sew it up. BUT my gorgeous little sister took one look at the pattern envelope and said, "I've got a plaid coat in a similar style in my trunk ready to go to consignment. Do you want to try it?"

Yes!

The coat is a perfect match. It has a little bit of teal mixed in with navy and black. It's fully lined (with hot pink!). My sister's awesome.

The only complaint I have about this pattern is the slit in the back. It's just rolled in at the center back seam, which means things are a bit drafty back there.

Maybe I can fix that for next time -- use a different kind of opening. 

It took two muslins, but the adjustments were super simple. It was a pleasure to fit this. Truly. The teal fabric was a wool that was easy to work with. The lining . . . well, not so much. If I could have bought fabric for the lining, I'd have chosen some buttery Bemberg rayon. Alas, I used some polyester from my stash. It was slippery and shredded and generally made me want to burn it.

Perhaps the most successful part of the whole experience was the invisible zipper. It turned out flawlessly. (I highly recommend this tutorial from the Coletterie if you need help with invisible zips.)

I used this method to attach the lining to the shell at the shoulder seams. It isn't perfect, but it's pretty clean. Much preferred to the pattern's instructions. Yeah, I pretty much ignored all the pattern's instructions.

Stats:

Pattern: Vogue 8319 Very Easy Very Vogue

Fabric: shell -- 100% wool from Waechter's. lining -- yucky. That's all. Oh, and I didn't have enough of it to make it all the way to the hem. Even yuckier.

Size: 6. This was important. My measurements put me at a size 10-12. I ignored the envelope sizing. I read reviews and saw on the pattern itself that they include Ease, Design Ease, AND a 5/8" seam allowance. What???? Also on the pattern itself are little targets with Finished Measurements at the bust, waist, and hips. I used those and cut the size 6. It was SPOT ON with a few adjustments per my usual.

Modifications: I lengthened the torso by over 2" and lowered the apex of the princess dart using this awesome diagram. Easy peasy. 

Also, I machine basted the zipper to the lining instead of hand stitching it. 

I topstitched around the neck and armholes to keep everything in place.

One more thing -- I did a machine blind hem stitch instead of hand stitching it. (Notice a pattern?)

Thoughts: I can't wait to sew up another version! It's my new favorite dress pattern. I'm picturing it with leather sleeves or a contrasting fabric. Or with piping at the seams. It's a great blank slate and wardrobe builder.