Winter Wear Sewing: OOP Vogue 8939

This weekend and into the next week, the prairies are under an extreme cold warning. Woke up to a minus thirty-three degrees Celsius, minus forty-six degrees Celsius with the wind chill. And yet all the lovely sewing bloggers are taking pictures outdoors without winter coats. Or backgrounds with green lawns. You guys are killing me here. 

So, you'll understand if I'm not sewing pretty floral dresses and looking at the spring line of patterns that are popping up. This weekend, out-of-print (OOP) Vogue 8939 (circa 2013), made a re-appearance on the cutting table. Nothing turns my thoughts to sewing a turtleneck dress faster than frigid Artic air hanging over the winter landscape.  

I'm sewn a few versions of Vogue 8939 turtleneck dresses over the years but I will say that this one is by far my favourite. This one is all about the fabric. Many moons ago I came across this ridiculous sale of dead stock fabric where I found this beautiful wool knit. I made a sweater in this black knit and in pink. And the one hard lesson that I learned in the process is that I should had pre-treated my fabric. Both sweaters shrunk and no longer fit.  

So I pre-treated the last fifteen metres I had with a tumble in the washing machine followed by a tumble through the dryer. And boy, did it ever shrink! I'm not sure how many metres came out of the process, just width wise, there was a noticeable change when it hit the cutting table. I'll be hand-washing this dress from now on as I'm really thrilled with how it fits and the felted feel to this knit.  

The pattern is a favourite go-to pattern. I lengthened it five inches, graded out a size or two around the hip area and shortened the length of the sleeves. It's an easy project, highly recommend it for a beginner.  

Project Details

Seams:  Knit stitch

Seam finish:  Serged

Sewing Tip:  Pre-treat your fabric and if you're lucky enough to know the fibre content, consider buying more yardage if it's a fabric that is known to shrink.  

Fabric:  3 metres

Knit 'N Stable tape:  2 metres

Pattern:  OOP Vogue 8939

Additional Tools and Supplies:  Pins, scissors, tailor's chalk, pin cushions, iron, ironing board, clapper, sewing machine, serger, walking foot, tweezers, thread clippers and tea.  

Stay Warm and Happy Sewing!