Vogue 1270 - Shiny Pink Party Dress

I did it! I finished Vogue 1270!

Hmm these colours are all wrong... at least the wine's OK.

Nothing really amazing there, it's just that I'm a slow sewer and usually underestimate how long sewing activities will take. And in fact, even though I said I was aiming to finish the dress this weekend, my real due date is still DAYS away - my work Christmas party is not till this Thursday! 

Of course the dress looks much nicer on the dummy (must be my amazing photographic skills, right???):

 

Two birds with one stone (cruel) and that sort of thing - here's my pattern review:

Pattern Description: 
Close-fitting, lined dress has extended shoulders, pleated left side bodice front with two-piece pleated bow, and invisible back zipper. No provisions provided for above waist adjustments.

Pattern Sizing:
Combinations: B5(8-10-12-14-16), F5(16-18-20-22-24)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes! I'm very happy with this dress.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, but there was one striking error, and an order of construction I'd change.

Pattern error:
Well I documented this in my last post and I don't want to bore anyone senseless, so if you want to read or re-read it please have a look back there. Basically ignore the picture in step #14.

Order of construction:
The patttern instructions have you sew bodice back pieces to bodice front (step #15), and skirt back pieces to skirt front (step #17) BEFORE sewing bodice to skirt (step #18) - and similarly for the lining pieces. This makes it trickier to take the dress in or out though. Better for future adjustments would have been step #17 before the side seams.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I really like the extended shoulders (which make my mini shoulders look a little broader)

  

and the nod to vintage dress shapes.

And of course I like the pleats and bow!

Upper bow attached to dress at bust dart

I also like that the dress is fully lined, so that the inside out view is very neat (great for someone without a serger).




Obviously I didn't enjoy finding a mistake in the pattern instructions - but it was terrific to find the maths area of my brain can still figure things out (yippee!)

Fabric Used:
Silk shantung + polyester lining. The shantung was picked up by fluke at a second hand shop, and initially I wasn't sure if it was or wasn't silk - but it passed the burn test and the 'what your mother thinks' test.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I cut this out in a 12 at the shoulders, a 14 at the bust, and an 18 at the waist and hips. I later took the waist and hips in to about a 14 - 16. I also added about 5cm to the length (I'm 5'9"-ish, and with this lengthening it's an above the knee length). Oh and I also just used a normal zip as I didn't manage to find an invisible one in the right colour.

Although the pattern description says there's no provision for above waist adjustment I'm not sure why they're saying that - you can certainly make the waist wider; that's obviously easy on the back pattern piece, and on the front pattern piece, just fold at the pleats and look at the centre front marking to work out which edge of the pattern piece will be the waist line and work on this. I guess it would be tricky to adjust the length between front bust and waist, although you could adjust the back for a sway back or whatever without problems.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I would like to sew this again but I don't know if I will - too many patterns and not enough time!

Conclusion:
A sweet dress with a lovely shape - I think this would suit many real figures and all dressmaker's dummies.

Cheers!