Sewing with Liberty Fabrics: Vogue 9197
Have you ever had an idea that has just been stored in your brain for what seems like an eternity? For me it was this dress. I had the fabric for it, but couldn’t find the right pattern. I just wanted it to be an easy project, you know find the pattern, cut the fabric and sew, but slowly and slowly I realised I wasn’t going to find the pattern that ticked all the boxes. So let’s chat about how I finally sucked it up and did what I needed to to make my dress a reality.
The dress I wanted sounds simple in theory, but as someone who hasn’t learnt to draft or drape her own patterns I’m restricted by what is on the market. I wanted a square neckline, puffy sleeves and an invisible zip through the back to pull it all together. Funnily enough, the hardest part was finding a square neckline pattern that went high enough in the back and had an invisible zipper. After trying for months it was time to just figure it out. So I grabbed the closest pattern in my stash to what I was after and got to work.
I went with the Vogue pattern 9197. It had the proportions I was wanting, but needed the sleeves and neckline tweaked. I used the slash and spread method for the sleeves to add volume and would use elastic in the sleeve hem. For the neckline, I just eyeballed it and made two toiles to ensure fit was right. It worked out great. The next part was to find the right lining for the bodice. Since I was using the most incredible tana lawn from Liberty of London I needed something that would match that quality. After perusing the internet and consulting with a good sewing friend, I decided to purchase some Habotai silk from Dharma Trading Co. I ordered the closest green they had to my main fabric and waited till it arrived in the mail. It was a match made in heaven; however, I will note that lining isn’t my strong suit. It was a learning curve for next time and I’ll be sure to be less rushed next time.
Overall, I’m so happy with how my dress turned out. I made it to take to Hawaii for my husband’s work trip. He won an award at work and I wanted to be sure I was celebrating him in style. I’d say it was pretty successful since most people couldn’t believe I had made my own dress.
