This entry was originally posted on patternreview.com and on this site as Perfectly Fit Dress and Who Knew Muslins Help.
Pattern: Vogue 8701---but not surprisingly it's out of print Sizing: 12 with MANY alterations
Fabric: wool with cotton shirting for lining
Assembly time: 4 hrs cutting pattern, 3 hrs on muslin, 17 hrs dress, 3 hrs hand sewing; total 27 hrs
If you hear one thing about this pattern, hear this---MAKE A MUSLIN!!! The bodice has very strange sizing.
Were the instructions easy to follow? The dress is pretty straight forward to put together and the directions reflect that, but that doesn’t mean they are great. Assembly of the neckline is just wacky.
Modification:
1) Extended the girth of the waist by 2”
2) Shorten bust darts by 1”
3) Reduced neckline width by 1/2"
4) Made 1/4" seam allowance along sleeve facing vs 5/8” recommended
5) Made 3/8” seam allowance around neckline vs 5/8” recommended
6) Added 2" to front panel of skirt
7) Sewed interfacing to sleeves before finishing neckline
8) Reduced underarm side seam by 1/4"
9) Reinforced skirt to bodice seam and zipper seams
10) Bound hem
11) Added decorative elements to underskirt
I probably did a bunch of other things, but this is all I can remember.
Would you recommend it to others? It is hard to answer this question because I really like the dress I ended up with. BUT, the dress I ended up with and the pattern that I bought are two different beings. The pattern is not good. A muslin is a must, and I am not one to put together one so take this suggestion seriously. I typically don’t make many changes to a pattern since the sizing in always (or was until this pattern) close but this one was so off. Making a size bigger or smaller than you typically do would not have a great impact on fit. I say this because you will change the overall size of the bodice and not fix or shrink the parts that may need to be altered. Right or wrong, I made my sizing judgment based on the bust ease measurement for a size 12 which is 36.5 inches. Be warned, the sleeve circumference is small, so if you have larger arms you’ll have to make another adjustment.
Would you sew it again? I really wish that I had an ounce of ambition to sew again, since I put so much effort into fitting the bodice correctly, but sadly I doubt I ever will. I have looked at other elements from the pattern and I am not going to attempt them. I really would like to have the jacket, but after the sizing issues with the dress I have no faith in the jacket pattern, especially since the locations of ease measurement has yet to be discovered.
Were the instructions easy to follow? The dress is pretty straight forward to put together and the directions reflect that, but that doesn’t mean they are great. Assembly of the neckline is just wacky.
Modification:
1) Extended the girth of the waist by 2”
2) Shorten bust darts by 1”
3) Reduced neckline width by 1/2"
4) Made 1/4" seam allowance along sleeve facing vs 5/8” recommended
5) Made 3/8” seam allowance around neckline vs 5/8” recommended
6) Added 2" to front panel of skirt
7) Sewed interfacing to sleeves before finishing neckline
8) Reduced underarm side seam by 1/4"
9) Reinforced skirt to bodice seam and zipper seams
10) Bound hem
11) Added decorative elements to underskirt
I probably did a bunch of other things, but this is all I can remember.
Would you recommend it to others? It is hard to answer this question because I really like the dress I ended up with. BUT, the dress I ended up with and the pattern that I bought are two different beings. The pattern is not good. A muslin is a must, and I am not one to put together one so take this suggestion seriously. I typically don’t make many changes to a pattern since the sizing in always (or was until this pattern) close but this one was so off. Making a size bigger or smaller than you typically do would not have a great impact on fit. I say this because you will change the overall size of the bodice and not fix or shrink the parts that may need to be altered. Right or wrong, I made my sizing judgment based on the bust ease measurement for a size 12 which is 36.5 inches. Be warned, the sleeve circumference is small, so if you have larger arms you’ll have to make another adjustment.
Would you sew it again? I really wish that I had an ounce of ambition to sew again, since I put so much effort into fitting the bodice correctly, but sadly I doubt I ever will. I have looked at other elements from the pattern and I am not going to attempt them. I really would like to have the jacket, but after the sizing issues with the dress I have no faith in the jacket pattern, especially since the locations of ease measurement has yet to be discovered.
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