Hot Pink Dress

Stash-busting 2015:  Vogue 9101

Okay, I will admit that there was once upon a time that I would never believe that a hot pink dress would be part of my wardrobe. I have since learned to never say never. Now, I just need want a pair of floral Doc Martens to pull this dress off. 

The Pattern:  

Vogue 9101 is a recent addition to my pattern collection. It is for a very comfortable pullover dress with a close fitting bodice, raised waistline and very, VERY, full skirt. 

The dress is cut as a straight size 14 with one error. I happened to cut the bodice front on the fold instead of cutting and stitching a centre front seam. This turned out to be a happy mistake because I really like the fit and feel that if I didn't have this 1 1/4" extra ease, the dress bodice may have been too tight.  

I raised and changed the shape to a curved neckline, as well as lengthening the short sleeves to full length. These were the only changes until I came to the hem. On my five-one frame it just skims ankle length and makes me wonder just how tall are those gals on the pattern illustration? I cut three inches off for a midi-length dress. The hem is finished with a three-thread overlock finish.    

Can I just say that I really like this pattern. Not only is this a quick sewing project, this pattern is well drafted. And I really like the self-lined bodice front. I can see myself making another one in a cotton knit for the summer. This pattern is a keeper that I certainly plan to revisit.    

The Fabric:

The fabric is a recent addition that I found at Fabricland. I was actually searching for a crepe knit to make this pattern but this textured polyester captured my attention because of its hand. This is not typically a colour that I would go for. As matter of fact, I was torn between this fabric and a teal blue knit. The teal blue knit was lighter in weight so I went with the hot pink. Never thought I would be typing those words but then again, never say never.  

I pre-treated the fabric with a tumble in the washing machine and dryer. It handled this process quite well. My only trouble with the fabric was cutting it out.  

Since it was a heavier knit and the skirt pattern piece was so wide, wider than the table width, I thought that I had to cut the skirt pieces by laying the fabric on the floor. The thought of this almost resulted in abandonment until Mama R came up with the perfect solution. Lay out the cardboard cutting surface I was going to use on the floor over the edge of the table. I'll tell you, Mama R is a genius! It worked perfectly as I held up the overhang with the top of two chairs and my knees and back were saved from floor fabric cutting.  

When it came to sewing this fabric, I used the lightning bolt stitch on my sewing machine and a walking foot. I found that if I went slowly while stitching that I didn't have too many issues. Although starting at the beginning of a seam did provide its own challenges. I just had to make certain that I had a length of upper thread to gently tug at through the back of the walking foot in order to make sure my fabric didn't end up pushed down towards the bobbin case and feed plate.  

The hem was supposed to be a rolled hem but I found my fabric to be quite difficult to sew a rolled hemline so I went with three thread serged edge. 

                                                                             The Stats:

Fabric:     4 metres $46.80 ($18.00 - 50% off + taxes)

Pattern:    Vogue 9101 $13.56 ($29.95 reduced to $12.00 in-store sale + taxes)

Thread:    I have budgeted $4.00 for the thread used in the serger and sewing machine.  

Needle:    I had to replace one of the serger needles during the making of this project. $0.76 ($5.40 for a package of four - 50% off + taxes) 

Additional Tools:  Janome sewing machine, serger, walking foot, steam iron, cutting table, cutting mat, scissors and pins.  

Happy Sewing!