Purple Delight {Vogue 1349}

Pattern:  Vogue 1349
Sizing:  12 to 14
Fabric:  1.25 yrds bottom-weight polyester; 1.25 silk charmeuse
Notions:  invisible zipper; fabric covered interfacing
Assembly time: 7 hrs
Instructions:  well thought out
Modification:  none
Recommend:  yes, oh yes

While this dress uses the same pattern as my Denim Delight, the two dresses are very different simply by the choice of fabric.  My first dress, which I have worn so many times, is made from chambray with no lining and top-stitching along the panels. This dress is made of a polyester bottom-weight fabric with a slight sheen and silk charmeuse lining.  This charmeuse is the best choice I have ever made for a lining fabric. Painful to sew, but delightful to wear. 

Construction was done following the directions provided with only minor deviations.  I did opt to use a single print fabric, unlike what the pattern suggests, which is the most noticeable change.  The raw edges were finished with pinking shears, since neither of the chosen fabrics fray much and all edges are covered.  Fusible facing was used at the hem to avoid stitch marks on the finished front.  This is a new technique for me and the results are terrific. 

The simple steps to follow for stitch free hems are:

1) cut strip of fusible facing (I prefer the fabric covered kind.)
2) iron facing onto reverse side of fabric
3) fold hem allowance over so it lands on fusible facing
4) hand stitch hem through the raw edge of the hem and facing

Keep in mind though, not all fabric will be suitable, nor is the garment design.  Success might not be reach on a pair of paints, for example.

Besides the new hemming method, I also discovered that under-stitching is unnecessarily for all linings.  This pattern seems to be tailored, that is to say cut short, for the lining to fall shy of the finished fabric edge when turned right-side out.  A lining that is cut minutely smaller than the shell creates rolled edges and eliminates the lining being seen.  The under-stitch installed for this version causes a small amount of pulling within the lining along the neckline and underarm. Not a big deal, but a big lesson when it comes to rating a quality, more detail oriented pattern.  I have made the determination that if separate lining pieces are provided with the pattern, under-stitching may not be necessary because the drafter may have accounted for finishing the neck and arm lines nicely. The pattern directions skipped the under-stitch step, which should have been a clue that this detail was not needed.