Vintage Wrap Dress: Simplicity 8032

Stash-busting 2014:  Simplicity 8032

Excuse the horrible photo. It's messy
pony-tail hair and no make-up day.

Fabric:  5.7 metres (includes blue eyelet fashion fabric and yellow cotton underlining fabric)

Thread: stash-busted 2 spools of thread

Button:  1 vintage button from my button collection

Before Diane von Furstenberg turned the wrap dress into an iconic must-have item in the nineteen-seventies, Simplicity came out with this pattern. I stumbled across this vintage 1968 pattern over at etsy.

This is almost the perfect pattern. The next time I make a wrap dress with this pattern I'm adding side seam pockets. That would make this a perfect pattern.

Okay, my version looks much longer than the pattern illustration. I did add four inches to the hemline since I do have a knee scar that I'm not looking to show off and I thought the dress would be on the short side. It is not.  I could easily left it as is and it would be fine.  

Here's the pattern description from the pattern envelope:  

The "wrap dress" with skirt gathered to bodice side front and back slightly above normal waistline has "V" neckline and self belt caught in front edges. Dress front "wraps" right over left, left belt slips thru opening in side front seams and buttons in back.  V. 1 has short set-in sleeves, V. 2 is sleeveless.  

 It is perfectly described and it is just how this turned out. And you know what else I like about sewing with vintage patterns? The texture of the pattern. They don't make tissue patterns like they did back in the day, this pattern is printed on a strong sheet of tissue paper. I love that.

The fabric has been in my stash for so long that some might qualify it as vintage. Let's just say that it is of a certain age. I can't even remember when and where I purchased this eyelet. I underlined the fashion fabric with a yellow cotton and together it has some weight to it. Even though I didn't have to underline the sleeves I wanted the sleeves to match the rest of the dress.

I didn't stitch the underlining hem to the fashion fabric. Here I left it as two separate pieces.  

The button was found in my collection of vintage buttons. 

This "wrap dress" pattern is a keeper.

I wouldn't mind making another one some day, I will just remember to cut it without adding any length to the hemline but add pockets to the side seam.  

Happy Sewing!