Vogue 1250 in Houndstooth Ponte

When I found this fabric on the interwebs, I knew it was perfect for another rendition of Vogue 1250.

I see this pattern around the sewing blogsphere a lot.  I seem to be one of the few full-sized woman making this pattern repeatedly and I can understand why. All those slim figures and flat tummies can make you rethink sewing this...but I really like the wearing ease of this dress...the fact that so many fabrics look amazing in this silhouette...and that it works so well with a jacket or cardigan.

Fabric ~
Houndstooth ponte from EOS

Notions ~
a little seam tape

I have no new construction tips to add.  I don't know why but I added some to the side seams which of course I had to remove.  I'm no longer using the back neck facing piece, instead using the stitch witchery fold down technique I noticed in ready-to-wear.  So other than the fact that it took me way too long to finish this dress, it was the perfect quickie to get my mojo back.

Honestly, I have at least one more summer version of this planned.  I found an amazing knit that will make a great dress.  I know that will be the 10th make of this dress and I wonder if I wore this silhouette for two weeks straight if anyone at work would notice?!

A parting shot of me and the shoes...and yes I do buy fabric to match shoes!  *LOL*

Updated to add that the shoes were purchased 

from Zappos in December 2012!

...as always more later!

Let the Pictures Speak!

The garments in this post have been featured in their own respective posts, so I'm just going to let the pictures speak...

First the Butterick 5760 Cardigan, blogged about here.  

Pictures of me wearing it along with Vogue 1250 top and the wool crepe brown pants ~ all are part of The City in Winter Wardrobe.

The Vogue 1250 top was blogged about here.

This is one of my favorite summer dress patterns so it was about time that I shortened it and made it into a top.

This outfit is a holdover from a few weeks ago but this was my first opportunity to get pictures of me actually wearing it...and I have to tell you I was surprised by the weight and warmth of the cardigan.  Since this is my fourth make using this pattern, I never bothered to try it on during the construction process.  This combo is professional yet sassy and will keep me warm yet not so warm that I won't wear it...essentially it's perfect!

...as always more later!

Vogue 1250 as a top

I love Vogue 1250 as a dress.  It's comfortable and easy to wear.  It sews up quickly and can be made out of several different types of knits...I know because I've made it in everything from a ponte knit to a silk jersey.  So for awhile now I've been thinking of altering this pattern and using it as a top.

You would think that I would be concerned about the drapey neckline in a fall top but I've decided to add a camisole beneath it ~ layers are always great in the fall. I've also found that lately it has to be extremely cold for me to wear something close-fitting at my neckline...especially now that my internal thermometer is doing it's own thing!

So when I found this rayon knit and realized that the print would work with both the brown (already completed) and the gray (yet to be sewn) pieces for the CIW wardrobe, I leapt at the chance to make V1250 as a top.

I made new pattern pieces for the top.  I added a hemline 9" from the waistline curve on the front piece, then traced the top of the dress piece out.  I placed the back top and skirt piece together, then traced the back as one piece straightening out the curved hemline.

Otherwise the top was constructed the same way that I made the dress.  There is a center back seam.  I used the same stitch witchery tip for the back neckline as I did with the last two dresses I made from this pattern.

Front view with lace camisole

Close up of the neckline

Back view

Twin needled hemline

I topstitched the armhole seams and used a twin needle on the hemline.  It was a quick sew but it will be a great top beneath the planned jackets and my solid color RTW cardigans.  

So one more garment is completed in the CIW collection...which makes that six garments done.  Next up is a cardigan from B5760.  It will be a second cardigan in the collection but since I like a cardigan so much more than a jacket, I figured two wouldn't hurt!

...as always more later!

Two More Vogue 1250s

Since the McCalls Maxi didn't work for me the stack of knits that I had assembled to make them sat and stared at me.  The pressure of the knits mocking me was too much pressure.  So I grabbed this tulip one, pulled out my Vogue 1250 pattern and made it up again.  

I know that I've made this dress several times now but this pattern never fails me. It's so easy to wear. It looks professional with or without a topper. I feel pretty and work appropriately sexy in it. Finally, it doesn't matter if my internal thermometer isn't working well, I'm always cool in these dresses.  

Have I sung it's praises enough...*LOL* In between putting my fabric in its place, I'm also packing for vacation. I just needed to spend a little quality time in my favorite room before I leave it for a minute!

Here are the dresses:
The first one is made from an ITY knit from Fabric Mart....

The only change I've made to this version and the next is that I didn't add the back neck facing included in the pattern.  I simply pressed the back neck  seam down and then serged some stitch witchery into the seam edge.  

Then I pressed it flat.  

and voila a clean finished neckline...

I was at Stein Mart (a local chain) yesterday and noticed some draped neck dresses in the plus size section. The back neckline was just stitched flat and I thought that application would look great in the V1250 dresses. So I used it for these dresses.  

Here are a couple more photos of what I'm calling the Tulip Version of Vogue 1250...

The second one is made from a silk jersey from Mood...I picked this print up from the NY store a couple of weeks ago because I loved the uniqueness of the fabric. Since this is my 9th version of this dress...yes, 9th version...it was truly a figure out how I wanted the print to lay on the dress, cut it out and sew.  So here is what I'm calling the Mosaic Vogue 1250...

Finally, as I said before I've made NINE of these.  My first one followed the pattern exactly and no longer resides with me.  My oldest daughter took it home with her a couple of weeks ago because I only wore it once. After I altered the pattern to fit me better, I've used border prints here and here, made a little black dress version, maximized it, the first summer print, a fall/winter print, then finally this summer I used three great prints for additional versions.  You can see 7 of the 9 Vogue 1250 versions in the group shot below or you can see all 9 of the dresses in my Flicker Album here.

I love this dress!  I assure you that I won't be making any more this summer but if this drape neck silhouette is still hot next spring/summer, who knows?! *LOL* 

I've made a few alterations to some pieces that I'm packing for my vacation which begins at 3pm on Friday!  OMG, I can barely wait!  I have another post or two to put up before I go and then I will be radio silent for a minute...but I'm sure you'll be sick of me by the end of the month because the second part of my vacation is a sewcation and you know I'll be sharing every gory detail!  

...as always more later!

Vogue 1250 - The 2012 Version

I cut this out Friday night and sewed it up Saturday afternoon...nuthin' like a TNT pattern to bring some sewing satisfaction...

I thought I did a good job of matching the paisley print but now I'm worried about how it appears at the bustline.  What do you think?  Is it too bullseye?  Will I need to wear it only with a sweater?  Don't worry you can answer honestly.  I'm gonna wear the dress anyway because the civilians will never realize!  *LOL*


Some stats:
Fabric ~
Poly ITY Border Print Knit


...and that's it!  Besides a little stay tape in the shoulder seams and some stitch witchery in the hem, there are no other notions needed.  That's part of what makes this dress so wonderfully easy to sew.  That and the fact that you just throw it on and wear it out the door!  So a few pics...

This is one of my all-time favorite dresses which is probably why this is my 6th version!  I know I said 7th in my last post but I was wrong. Since this one went together so quickly, I looked around for more knit fabric to make another one. But I came to my senses and just moved onto the purple ponte knit B5760 cardigan that I've already cut out...so look for that one soon...followed by my big July project which I've planned out to a "T" I just need to get started on it!


A parting shot of me and The Little Prince who is getting bigger every day!

...as always more later!

Another Little Black Dress

I've always said that I wanted a black version of Vogue 1250.  So this afternoon while working on a different dress that I was using this fabric for, I thought that it would be perfect for V1250.

There are no new construction details to share since this is my fifth version of this pattern.  But each time I work with the pattern, I adjust some minor detail that makes the dress more me.  I can tell you that just like my maxi-mized version of this dress, I've added a deeper drape and a smidge more fabric in the abdomen area.  This has resulted in a fuller hemline but I'm okay with that because it's the drapiness of the neckline that I like most.


I'm still using seams in the back area...both at the bodice and skirt.  I like this look better and after reading through some of the other reviews of this dress on Pattern Review, I realized that my back seam should be a little higher.  So this time during construction I changed the depth of the seam to raise it a little.  Other than that this is still the quick sew that it always is...especially since most of the construction is done on my serger.


This dress has great versatility...

For Work...

Cardigan:  QVC Knockoff 

Shoes:  Jessica London

Bracelets:  RJ Graziano

Earrings:  Judith Ripka

For a date with friends

Suede Sweater Jacket: Jessica London

Booties:  Jessica London

Earrings: eBay vintage Sarah Coventry

Tights:  Dress Barn

For an evening out

Earrings & Pin:  eBay vintage Sarah Coventry

Stockings:  Fishnets from The Avenue

Shoes:  AK Anne Klein from Lord & Taylor

Watch:  Avon

and winterized

Turtleneck:  Dana Buchman

Boots:  Torrid

Turtleneck & boots from above

Cardigan:  Burda 8869 (OOP)

I can't guarantee that I won't find another piece of fabric in the collection that will ask to be made using this pattern but for right now I'm really happy with my fifth version of it!


...as always, more later!

Vogue 1250 Maxi-mized

Okay I'm gonna admit it right up front...I'm a copy cat.  Because I copied this idea straight from Katie, who blogs as, KidMD.  She posted about how she maxi-mized her Vogue 1250 dress and I followed suit.

It was really easy.  First I went to the fabric closet (that is groaning under the weight of the newly added fabric, I may add) and picked this gorgeous knit that I purchased from GStreet in Rockville, MD during the Great Fabric Excursion this past April. 

Next I went over to Kay's blog, The Sewing Lawyer, because when she made her second version of V1250, she deepened the cowl neckline and added some more to the back armhole piece.

this gave my cowl neckline some extra ummph!

I had already added a little to my back armhole but following Kay's lead, I added a little more.

When I laid my fabric out, I added an additional 15" to lengthen the dress from knee to maxi length.  Now if you've made V1250 this season you know that this is a quick and easy sew.  It must be because presently there are 39 reviews on Pattern Review and I know that Erica and Liana have also made versions of this dress.  So if you've made it before you may want to maxi-mize one for yourself too.

I did make two changes to the maxi-mized version. Per Katie's advice, I added a back slit at the bottom of the dress then I added about an inch in width to the front of my dress from the waist down, to give it a little looser fit.  Finally right now the dress' hem is just serge finished...it may stay this way or I may hem it...but I'm not sweating it since it is a weekend dress.  Oh and is it necessary to remind you that my pattern now has side seams?  I changed that when I made dress number two.

A back view...

...I'll be wearing this out to dinner with friends later this afternoon...and if you are going to PR NYC fabric shopping day, you will probably see it there too!  Because this wears just as wonderfully as the shorter version does.


...as always, more later!