July 2008 Threads and Vogue 8442 pattern
knitbunnie
| Posted in General Discussion on
I’m a sewer who has to sew by the pattern (unfortunately!). I LOVE the dress on page 24 of the new Threads (July 2008), Vogue 8442. How did they get from the pattern to the dress? The pattern cover picture looks kind of dowdy. The photo looks great – there’s no center seam and the sleeves are totally different from the ones on the pattern. Are there tucks on the sleeves?
I don’t have time to take classes, there’s nothing in my town except chain stores, and there are NO sewing classes. I’ve asked around a lot. My time is limited and so is my budget, so I can’t afford to experiment very much. Any advice on how to get the look of the dress in the picture would be greatly appreciated.
Replies
The pattern photo shows the dress made up in a drapier fabric, and to me, it looks longer than the printed dress shown in Threads. I wish the review had said what kind of fabric was used in the test version. It could be a cotton, or a rayon, or anything, and who knows how drapey it is? I noticed the apparent absence of the center front seam, too. I suppose they just put the center seam of the pattern on the fold of fabric and did away with that seam.As to the sleeves, I had to look closely, too. I think they are the shorter version of the sleeve. What looks like tucks on the cuff of the sleeve is part of the print of the fabric, I think...the trunks of the palm trees look a little like tucks. They may have turned up the cuff on the sleeve, but I don't think so; I think it's just that shorter version - the sketches of the sleeves almost make them seem to flare out at the hem, but the sewn-up version appears straighter. Bear in mind, too, that the dress shown in Threads is shown flat; without arms in the sleeves, you can't tell how tightly that button makes the sleeve cuff fit, as you can see on the modeled version on the pattern envelope. If I were going to use the pattern, I wouldn't make the french cuff version; I would instead overlap the cuff/band a little and sew only one button on the outside. This one must use two buttons on each sleeve, front and back of the french cuff.I also had trouble seeing the darts on that printed fabric. I think the darts on the dress must be very close to the point where the sleeve meets the side-seam.
To me it looks like the only change is that the center front appears to be on the fold. If the center front seam is a straight line, as it appears to be, then this alteration makes sense and would be simple to do. If you look closely at the sleeves, a black button will show up on each one. The darts are pretty well disguised, but they are there. The dress does look a little shorter, but I think you could safely use that pattern with a similar print and get good results. I'm just guessing at the fabric, but it might be a linen toile.
A toile linen would definitely give the dress more body. But there are lots of tropical prints in rayon challis in the fabric shops, so it could be a drapier fabric like that. I don't like the sleeve at all on the version shown on the pattern envelope. Have you looked at that version? What do you think?
I agree - the sleeve looks kind of funky on the pattern (well maybe more than "kind of". The sleeve on the photo dress looks shorter than either sleeve on the pattern and the cuff doesn't look like it's ready to take wing. Again, I'm going into the unknown, but if I can't shorten a sleeve now, it's time to figure it out! Same with fixing the cuff.
Edited 4/26/2008 1:54 pm ET by knitbunnie
That topical print isn't a fabric I would choose for that dress, so it's hard for me to appreciate it. The picture on the Vogue web site seems more suitable for the fabric. Rayon seems to me like it would be too drapey for that pattern. I like rayon for its softness and drape, and this pattern seems like it needs more body. It's lined, and I generally don't pick patterns for rayon that need to be lined.
I wouldn't line rayon challis either, and I don't like the drapey look of the fabric used in the Vogue photo. The pattern envelope does specify wool crepe, tropical weight wool, linen, and wool jersey as appropriate fabrics, but the photo looks much drapier to me. The flat photo in Threads somehow looks like a stiffer fabric, but it's difficult to tell.I agree with you also about the print fabric - the square neck band is completely disguised, and I think that's a feature I would want to emphasize. I do like the front of the dress placed on the fold, and don't usually like a center front seam. However, with the right fabric, that seam could be a nice design element, perhaps with a couple of rows of topstitching on either side, giving a nice vertical line to the dress.Concerning Sandra Betzina's suggestion of making a sleeveless tunic out of this pattern - did you notice how the sleeves are set into the dress front? It almost looks like a raglan sleeve, with that seam jutting up at an angle into the bodice and up to the neck band. Maybe there's more of a curve, but it appears to be a straight line. I'm not sure that the sleeve could just be left out. In the back view the sleeve looks like an ordinary set-in sleeve. Am I just not seeing it correctly?
Edited 4/26/2008 3:12 pm ET by Josefly
It's hard to tell without the pattern how the sleeve is set in. I wonder if Sandra Betzina made the pattern before she suggested that. It looks like it would be really cute without the sleeves, but it does look like the sleeves are set in farther than a regular sleeve. It might have too much ease for a sleeveless dress. I'm not sure how I would line it as a sleeveless tunic either. I'd probably line it and then do armhole facings sewn over the lining. I like the style line and the idea of a solid fabric without a lot of drape. I think the cut of the armholes makes the sleeves stick out though. I don't know how flattering that would be.
Sandra Betzina suggests using this pattern as a sleeveless tunic.http://www.sandrabetzinaonline.com/forecast.htm
I assume the front seam was eliminated to avoid matching the design. The presence of a seam would make the garment hang differently because of that little bit of added weight. Personally, I think I would prefer it because it would be slightly more slenderizing...even if you didn't "see" the vertical line. With the seam, I think it would be more likely to glide down the body. Without, it would have more of a tendency to stick out. I'm being picky, I know it wouldn't be a big difference to most people.
I don't think you're too picky. I've never liked a center-front seam, and I'm not sure why - I think the stiffness of a seam makes fabric "pooch" out more than just flat fabric. However, as I mentioned in an earlier post, it can be a nice design feature, and a slimming, elongating one.
I'm sure that my opinions are based primarily on what "works" on my body. Over the years, as my body has changed shape, I've learned to understand why people chose styles that I previously thought were unflattering, etc. And, as you said, sometimes you don't know why, you just know that one thing works better for you than another. When I read articles or hear someone use the terms, "everyone" or "no one" looks good in xxx, they lose all credibility and I get a little annoyed because there are just too many variables in the human shape.
Edited 4/28/2008 2:08 pm ET by Ralphetta
Thank you Josefly and Kathelaine. Now I see the buttons and the palm tree trunks! I have what I think will be a good fabric in my stash, and I love that the pattern says it has a lining. Hopefully, it won't be hard to eliminate that center seam. This will be a leap of faith for me - to go beyond the pattern.
Edited 4/26/2008 1:49 pm ET by knitbunnie
Knitbunnie: I'm going to have our editor Ariel Price post a comment in reply to your question. Look for it soon.
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