Sunday, September 21, 2008

Vogue 7994 - Brown really is the new black!

Well it's finished...



And once I added accessories to it, I liked it a whole lot better...



So here's some stats:

Pattern:
Vogue 7994 - Close fitting (at bust) below mid-knee, A-line dress has princess seams, raised neckline at back, sleeves and back zipper closure.

Fabric Used:
A midweight doubleknit purchased from Fabric Mart

Notions:
22" invisible zipper

Pattern Alterations:
As I stated before, I didn't really have to do as many alterations to the pattern as I thought I would...some very simple ones and the princess lines really made this dress pattern a dream to work with...

~I added 1/2" to the all of the pattern pieces at the seam line except for the back piece where I added a full inch to the center back seam.

~To handle my bicep issues, I cut the sleeve pattern in half and added 5/8" seam allowances as well as 2" to the bicep area gradually easing this amount into the top and bottom of the sleeve




~Most of the alterations were made to the front pieces because that's where I needed the ease to cover my abdomen

And that's about it...simple alterations on a classically beautiful dress.

Construction Techniques:
~Since I added a seam to the sleeve, I omitted the v-insert and made the sleeves a little shorter. I also added three rows of topstitching to the sleeve hem to give it a little detail.




~Also since it was a knit, I added two rows of topstitching to the dress hem.




~The original neckline was just a little too low for a work dress, so I sewed the v-neckline about 1.5" higher.



What I would do differently next time?

~Add some more length to the hemline...I am using only 1/2" turnup and I would have liked at least a full inch for the hem.

~Change my shoulder width before putting the dress together...I ended up changing that at the end and it would be a much more effective change if I handled it at the princess seams instead of at the end of the armhole.

Will I make it again?

Of course! I already have some black wool crepe and a beautiful cadet blue wool crepe earmarked from the collection for more dresses. I will add lining to these because this is the perfect work dress. Lots of style, no fiddle factor and sophisticated and polished...something I can wear without a jacket and still look like me!



I have to admit that after I inserted the sleeves the first time and before I added accessories, I did lose my confidence in the dress. However, after adding hair & make-up and accessories, I can see the attractiveness of the dress again!

So next up...the cardigan and twinset from the "Grayed Affair" collection.

53 comments:

  1. Yeah, I'm the first one to post about your dress. I love you in the brown vouge dress - the new black. I also like the use of double knit for the dress.

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  2. Carolyn...just a terrific dress!! Looks wonderful on you(and I am a big proponent of browns - I think they are far more interesting than black and look better on more people, but that is me). Will you have to make changes to work with the wool crepe rather than the knit?

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  3. Hi Carolyn,
    I Like the brown dress too. I think brown is easier to wear than black, it complements the complexion. I am impressed at how lovely this simple pattern looks. I need to keep this in mind because I tend to pick a dress with some fiddly feature then find out it's not versatile enough. This looks great.

    Anna

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  4. I'm a big fan of brown as black, and this is a great example of it. Love all those Carolyn extras - the immaculate topstitching and the amount of thought you put into your garments to make them come out right.

    I would definitely make this one in a few more colors, it's a great shape on you and looks like an easy, wearable work dress.

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  5. You look BEAUTIFUL in your new dress. You are such a talented woman - thanks for sharing your sewing - I'm inspired!

    Lisa

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  6. Classic, and stylish, your dress is terrific.

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  7. hmm,, well, I think brown is just your color, I still love my black though, black is almost "my" new black, lol.
    Love the necklace, love the necklace. great outfit all together and I'm happy you decided to make more because I think a good dress pattern is worth having 2 off,, no?
    take care

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  8. Carolyn, this dress has the most flattering shape of all your dresses. And that's saying a lot. The fabric and drape, the accessories, all put together for a wonderful professional polished look.

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  9. This is really flattering on you! I do love princess seams. So many fitting opportunities and the vertical seams are really slimming.

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  10. Another winner! This is a great dress. I recently made Simplicity 4074, which if very similar.

    I love the detail you go into - not only the design details, like the top stitching - but the alterations. The blog is SO educational. Thanks Carolyn!

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  11. Carolyn,

    Your dress is absolutely stunning. You are so smart and pulled together to include new shoes and jewelry. The workmanship shows up beautifully, as usual.

    Karendee

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  12. I'm loving this dress on you - you'll knock 'em dead at work! Three cheers for brown!

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  13. I think this dress looks great on you and it is very professional looking. I love the topstitching details.

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  14. This dress looks lovely on you. The style is very flattering.

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  15. Carolyn, love your dress. This is perfect timing. You saved some fabric and got rid of my frustration. Now I know what to do with a red knit that I was frustrated with. It is a tube knit that I can't get the folds out of. A princess seam dress will be perfect for this fabric. It's a bit thin so I will line it to prevent bagging. Thank you for the inspiration.

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  16. A classic dress that looks great on you! I will have to check out this pattern.

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  17. read your blog often....the dress is beautiful...you are an inspiration for being well dressed at a corporate job and fashionable too.....good job. ML

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  18. Just adding my two cents so that you know I popped in....fabulous dress on you. Perfect and wonderfully figure flattering.

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  19. I love it! Another Carolyn winner. g

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  20. You look beautiful. The dress is so well made and so so flattering!

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  21. Ahh, lovely dress! I think it's very flattering on you.

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  22. OMGoodness that dress is Gorgeous! and its so figure flattering. I'm sure you will be making more.

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  23. This is a very pretty, yet serious/professional, dress. Well done!

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  24. Great dress, Carolyn! Very flattering and classic style.

    BetsyV

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  25. Really great dress, nice to see you in a warm brown, all of your things come out so great.

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  26. yowza! Really fantastic job :) i'd love to see it with a bold and beautiful scarf...

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  27. You look really great in this dress. I love the shade of brown you used and the accessories are fabulous.

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  28. Great dress! Love the color! I'm purchasing lots of brown clothing lately. That dress is totally fabulous!

    Work on gurl!

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  29. What a beautifully classic dress and it looks great on you. The accessories just puts icing on the cake. I love your sense of style!

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  30. You look great! I love the length and flare of this dress.

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  31. This dress fits you perfectly. Wow, gorgeous!

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  32. Beautiful dress! And you don't have to sell ME on brown. It's in almost everything I wear. Love, LOVE!! those shoes!

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  33. Fabulous dress! You look great in it!

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  34. Beautiful dress and the colour really becomes you. The necklace and shoes.... oh yummy!

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  35. Very elegant, the accessories give it the final touch.

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  36. Beautiful dress, but you already know that we all think that way (being the 36th to comment).
    What a pity I learned that brown is not my color, but black is!

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  37. Beautiful! It looks perfect on you and so very comfortable.

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  38. Fabulous dress and you look great, but then everyone has said that. Really you have the most marvelous way of pulling things together and that dress is just one more example. And you are titillating us with promises of more.....

    Oh my.

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  39. You look amazing in this dress. It's very flattering. And brown is definitely a great color on you.

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  40. How could yu doubt this dress for a minute? It was made for you--the color, the lines, the subtle styling of the neckline and softly flairing hem. Truly lovely.

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  41. loves it! plus, the brown makes your skin glow

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  42. Another Winner!! Love the fabric choice and color.

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  43. When I was little, my grandmother would always make brown dresses for me because my hair and eyes are brown, and my blonde, blue-eyed sisters would get blue and pastel dresses--she thought those were good colors for us. As a result of this early overexposure I developed an aversion to brown and it's taken me 40 years to like it again. I love this brown dress on you--nice!

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  44. Man, don't you look fantastic in brown! Great outfit, Carolyn. It is so good to be back to Blogland and to get to read you again :)

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  45. Very sharp looking! I think you have a winner with that pattern. I also see that the brown shoe is shiny one! Yay!

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  46. Brown may or may not be the new black, but it's a superb color on you! I love princess seamed dresses; you can alter them right where you need it, with minimal fuss! Love your shoes, too. they make your feet look so tiny!

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  47. Gorgeous dress! The fabric is so beautiful. And yes I love brown too. I buy brown fabric whenever I can find it.

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  48. Great job and nice accessories, too!

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  49. Carolyn, once again you pull off something that is so flattering on you. I think sometimes sewers think that a simply lined style is not enough for some reason, but a classic style in a great color with flattering lines is really high end. Maybe we watch too much of the runway stuff. Just go back to your Kennedy Years book and see those simple lines. I went to a wedding this weekend wearing a plain a-line with a simple tie collar and had plenty of questions about where I had gotten such a cute dress. And when I finished it I was almost sorry that I had chosen such a plain pattern. (circa 1967)
    Marguerite

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  50. Carolyn, this dress looks great on you! I have this dress in my stash -- I'm going to need to get it out soon. I can't wait to see the next two renditions!

    Jodi

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  51. Brown is definitely the new black. This is a great dress and you look wonderful in it. There are a lot of options for this sophisticated dress.

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  52. It's finished and its GORGEOUS!!! You look terrific and the outfit (complete with accessories) is very chic and well thought out!

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