Very Easy Vogue V9090 Review

I liked the look of pattern Vogue V9090 because the gathers of the skirt started to 'flair' well below the waistline - I think this shape is more flattering that when the flair starts higher up (which can visually shorten the top half of the body).

I wanted to create a skirt suitable for a casual day look as well as being suitable for dressing up for evening. A lightweight denim would give the right amount of structure to hold the shape, and using a 'casual' fabric gives it a modern feel. I made view B, with a couple more inches added on the length, I didn't hem it, just sewed a row of stitches and kept a raw edge. I also top stitched around the waistband, it helps keep the fabric flat and crisp, and stitched the pleats to keep the silhouette streamlined.

As I was using a reasonably thick fabric I didn't use interfacing in the waist band. I also tailored the waistband to fit higher up than the picture on the pattern shows. I enjoyed making this pattern it is quick and easy to sew, I'd certainly recommend it.

I love the looks Raf Simons has created at Dior the past few seasons, his subtly edgy take on the classic Dior silhouette is simple, modern and feminine. My favourite looks at the Cannes Film Festival were most definitely Dior.

To balance the proportions a fitted top could be worn with this skirt, a simple bandeau top would work for a warm day, or evening with heels, or a polo neck and ankle boots in cooler weather.

It could be worn with trainers and a loose t-shirt, or a la Carolina Herrera, with a white shirt.

Vogue 1314 Close Fitting Dress Review

This dress pattern is from the Tracy Reese collection, it's a very simple design, pull-on with draped sides, long sleeves and a round neckline. Designed to be sewn using a stretch fabric, I decided to use a super fine wool jersey and line it with the same fabric.

The grey wool fabric I used was bought from Mcculloch and Wallis, it's very thin and was challenging to work with, as the cut edges had a tendency to roll. I found the best way to manage the rolling edges was by frequent ironing, I tried using starch but that wasn't successful.

I quite like the finished dress, but feel the style would suite somebody with a less angular shape than I have. I tried to keep it loose across the waist to balance this out a little, but I think it looks a little to baggy. 

The instructions were easy to follow, although it is more difficult to make adjustments to the side seams once the fabric is gathered, if you do need to adjust the pattern it is probably easier to do this before cutting and sewing the gathers. If I did make it again I'd make it longer and choose a thicker fabric that was easier to work with. 

Long Skirts - Review Simplicity 1782 and Vogue 8241

I really do love the silhouette a long skirt can create. They are great for wearing in summer, they look casual with flats, and are comfortable in the heat, practical and easy to wear to the beach or pool, add heels and accessories and they can turn into elegant evening wear. 

I made this skirt, pictured above, using the Simplicity easy-to-sew pattern 1782. I like the wide waistband, which sits below the natural waistline. and the gathers are at the front and back and not on the sides of the skirt, which is more flattering for my shape. It does up with a side zip, I used a concealed zipper. The printed polyester fabric came from John Lewis. The fabric is thin, ideally I would have lined it but realised this once it was complete so I wear it with a nude petticoat underneath, I didn't include the split either, there is enough fabric in the skirt to be able to walk comfortably.

This pattern is really easy to sew and highly recommended. I would make it again.

This maxi skirt (above) was an adjustment to a dress I previously made, but wasn't entirely happy with. It was created using Vogue pattern 8241 (below) however the top did not fit very well and wasn't flattering on me. I may attempt this pattern again but I would make adjustments to the top - possibly fitting it around the torso rather than having it loose...

When making the dress into a skirt I decided to use the waistband pattern from Simplicity 1782 and attach the skirt adjusting the gathers to fit. The skirt from Vogue pattern 8241 is not as full as the Simplicity pattern and has a split at the back, I think the amount of gather is ideal to show off the large scale flower print which would have been lost if it were more tightly gathered. The dress pattern included lining which improved the drape and wearability. The polyester print fabric was from John Lewis. I now need to make or find a top to go with it.

This chiffon skirt was created for use in the summer, however it could be used as a winter garment when worn with, tights, boots and a warm knit on top or cropped jacket. I made it, again, using the waistband pattern from Simplicity 1782, using stretch, satin cotton off cuts and the skirt was made from black polyester chiffon with polyester lining underneath. I used the pattern v8241 as a guide to the width of the fabric for skirt and lining.

Short Sleeved Batwing Top - Kwik Sew 3720

I decided to make the short sleeved version, View B, of the Kwik Sew pattern using this silver knit fabric from Fabricland. On an earlier post I wrote about the long sleeved version I made in sweatshirt type jersey. The 'B' pattern is designed for using two contrasting fabrics, but I decided to align the two pattern pieces and make it out of a single piece of fabric for the front and back. 

This is a really quick and easy pattern to make, I think the choice of fabric really does determite how casual or dressy the end garment looks. The top looks best when worn with skinny jeans or leggings.

A Classic Dress - Vogue Pattern Review 8280

The ubiquitous Galaxy Dress by Roland Mouret as seen on Victoria Beckham and so many other celebrities, first appeared on the catwalk as part of his Autumn Winter 2005/6 collection. Here is a picture of Halle Berry wearing one. 

It is similar also to a current dress, in black, by Dolce & Gabbana, it’s used in the adverts, modelled by Claudia Schiffer (43!). 

Vogue 8280 pattern, now discontinued, only just (at the time of writing) however, so there may well be some stocks about… 

You can buy an original iconic Galaxy, right now, for a touch under £2000, these dresses are cleverly lined in power-mesh to accentuate the hourglass silhouette.

I've made three of these dresses, so far, the first I disassembled and turned into a skirt as I wasn’t completely happy with the top half, it was a long sleeved version the same as the one pictures in the wool crepe (pictured below), the construction certainly wasn’t easy for me - complicated shoulder flanges. The second (pictured above) I made in a satin, stretch midnight blue cotton from Fabricland the fabric was inexpensive, it was a test really to see how I got on a second time, with lessons I had learnt from the first attempt. This time I decided to go for the short ‘origami’ style sleeves as the cotton fabric was more suited to summer wear. The top is lined as instructed on the pattern.

I was pleased with the way this dress turned out and decided to make a warmer version with long sleeve, in a luxurious 100% wool crepe from Truro Fabrics - the drape is beautiful and, unlike the cotton, it won’t crease. Apart from the sleeves it is fully lined, for improved drape and comfort of wear. I do love this dress and have had lots of complements when wearing it. I made a few adjustment to the pattern - I lengthened the body and sewed the arm flanges to the body of the dress as they gapped otherwise and I made both the dresses slightly longer than the pattern.

I would certainly recommend this pattern, it's such a flattering design with lots of options.

Wide Legged Trousers / Pants Review - Vogue 8751

Once apon a time I have some lovely wide legged trousers, well, apart from the fact that they didn't fit around the waist, so I had to wear them with a top that covered it. Trousers with a wider legs, that is, where the legs fall at least straight from the widest part of the hips, suit my shape when worn with a fitted top. I decided to try Very Easy Vogue V875, view B, this would be my second attempt at sewing trousers. I bought some cotton fabric with a slight stretch to try out the pattern, and see if my skills were up to the challenge.

The pattern was reasonably easy to sew, I found them easier to sew than the tapered leg trousers as they did not need crotch adjustments. I did make some adjustments to the hips and waist at the side seams, this was easy to do. The crop-top in the above picture is from River Island.

I do like this pattern and I'm going to make it again in a fabric with a more fluid drape than the cotton, perhaps a crepe.

Mock Wrap Skirt Review - Vogue 8711

Inspired by the draped and gathered outfits created by Donna Karan, I decided to try to make some asymmetric draped clothing myself. I especially liked the strong, warrior women Donna Karan sent striding down the catwalk for the Autumn / Winter 2013 show. I'm drawn to the powerful yet feminine aesthetic which she does so well.

Donna Karan does produce some patterns which come under the 'Vogue' pattern family. I had a closer look at Vogue 1259, (pictured below) however it appeared particularly complicated, I imagined getting into all sorts of trouble with that high neck...  The reviews I read seemed to confirm that it wasn't an easy pattern to sew. I was also looking for something with sleeves, or to which sleeves could be easily added. This pattern looks like a dress but is actually a top and skirt. I like the idea of creating an outfit with a top and skirt as it gives the option for wearing them separately also.

Whilst looking at some of the shows for Autumn/Winter 2014 and Spring/Summer 2015, I noticed a trend for front and side splits in skirts and also draped fronted or wrap skirts. Isabel Marant showed some beautiful sequinned wrap mini skirts worn with textured knit jumpers, click on the link above to take a look at one example.

Whilst browsing for patterns I came across this skirt with a draped front, Vogue 8711 (pictured above).

The pattern is for a mock wrap skirt designed for a stretch fabric with an elasticated waistband. I thought I could cobble together a draped top to end up with an outfit that looked something like this...

The instructions on the pattern include 'underlining' - I decided I would use the same fabric and basically double it up and sew the pieces together, and then treat them as one when sewing the skirt together. I didn't do this for the yoke pieces as this would have meant they would have been made up with four layers of fabric, which would have ended up bulky and difficult to work with.

I went to London to look for some fabric, Cloth House on 98 Berwick Street in Soho, has a great selection of jersey fabrics downstairs. I chose a dark brown fine wool jersey with plenty of stretch. As the fabric was quite expensive (and the last of the roll) I decided to experiment on some inexpensive fabric from Fabricland for the top as I wasn't using a shop bought pattern and I'd never trying draping before. After cutting the pieces of fabric front and back, and tacking the shoulder seams and one side seam and used my dummy and pinned some folds in the fabric.

The skirt pattern included three folds, and then gathers on top to create the draped effect. I decided to do something similar and create folds, close to the waist, and then add gathers using two rows of tacking. The draping experiment was successful (picture above) so I decided to go ahead with making the top.

I only had enough fabric to make the top in a single layer, I would wear it with a tight camisole or one of my Heatech tops from Uniqlo (love these) underneath. I am pleased with the top and skirt - I think a different shaped neckline would probably be more flattering but having a higher neckline certainly makes it warmer to wear.

I will make the skirt pattern again, perhaps in a longer length....