Despite all the sewing bloopers, limited sewing time and bouts of missing sewing mojo, I have a new version of the DVF Vogue 1610 wrap dress. It felt good to get this one to the completed stage.
First, let's talk about this pattern, out-of-print and vintage Vogue 1610. It is not the iconic status that surrounds this pattern rather it's all about the fit. It's sublime and I love the fit! The only alterations done were shortening the bodice length and reducing the hem two inches. I love that there are no darts or pleating on the front bodice, those tucks at the back bodice, the soft gathers of the skirt and the pattern comes with pockets. Sadly, I had to give those up.
For a brief moment in time, there were some pocket bags sewn together. And then the realization set in that the two front pocket pieces along with the front side seams were sewn together. Oops! The use of a seam ripper was fruitless in an attempt to remove the stitching as I used the knit stitch program on my Janome sewing machine. This stitch is a wonderful feature when sewing clothes that require stretch while wearing. However, like Linda Lee points out in Sewing Knits from Fit to Finish, "[i]t is a difficult stitch to rip out so make sure it is your final stitch (83)." In order to rescue this project, I cut off the 5/8" seam allowance and the pocket bags. This had me a little worried as I worked through the final steps of the project knowing that I removed an inch and a quarter from the skirt width. Would it still fit?
Thankfully, yes Virginia! It did fit despite removing some width from the front skirt sides and saying good-bye to the pockets. I give all thanks to God, not Santa Clause for that one.
The fabric was found at Northwest / Marshall Fabrics many, many moons ago. The last time I was there pre-moving sale, there was a bolt of this print but not this colour. So, maybe when they re-open at their new location soon, there might be some left. It is a cotton knit, in a beautiful weight and would you believe that I struggled to think of what to turn this fabric into? There were three options, Named Clothing's Kielo wrap dress, a pair of pajamas, or the DVF Vogue wrap dress. Since I haven't tested the Kielo wrap dress pattern yet, I ruled that one out quickly. And then I turned to you, the readers, for some help. Thank you for all that helped. It was a tie, three votes for the dress and three votes for lama pajamas. So I flipped a coin and the dress won. I would have been happy with either but now that this project is done, I'm really happy it was the dress that won the coin toss.
Project Details
Seams: Knit Stitch
Seam finish: Serged.
Fabric: 4 metres (one way pattern on the fabric)
Knit 'N Stable tape: 3 metres
Additional Tools & Supplies: Cutting table, assorted heavy objects to use as pattern weights, tailor's chalk, scissors, pins, pin cushions, sewing machine, screwdriver, regular presser foot, walking foot, serger, threads (for the machines and hand stitching), hand sewing needle, thread clippers, tweezers, iron, ironing board, a whole lot of procrastination, tea and cookies.
Stay Safe and Keep Sewing!
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Fabulous dress! Wrap dresses are everywhere. Yours stands out and as you say, is sublime. As far as that stitch---I call it the "heinous stitch". I never use on knits or for any construction. However it does do beautiful topstitching with a bit of tweaking. I am working on a shirt with a lot of topstitching right now and one of the rows on the button bands just had the topstitching not come out that nice. I think it had to do with uneven grading inside. Anyhoo, I painfully decided to rip the heinous stitch out. It took me 3 1/2 hours with a razor and fine embroidery scissors and a seam ripper to get out twenty inches of that nasty stitching. . I feel your pain. Kudos for you for just cutting it off. FWIW, on my knits I use the wobble stitch, a simple zigzag 2.5 long and .5 wide. Works charmingly and its what Lee uses.
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