The pattern is a copy of an OOP Vogue Easy Options. I made this once and got complements on it but the fabric I used, a cotton / poly knit shrunk and the dress got shorter. In my mind, there was not enough dress for me to sit on in the end and it was uncomfortable unless I wore pants underneath it. Pffft!
I remembered that it was cool in the heat but it also fell off my shoulders. I'd chosen the pattern by the bust size, it would have been better to choose according to my upper chest measurement. The pattern companies assume that a 40" bust belongs to a proportionally bigger woman with broad shoulders and (still) a B cup. I didn't know any of this then.
To revisit this pattern I used my Sure Fit dress kit. I put the pattern over my body blueprint sloper and re-drew this dress to fit. The shoulders were adjusted, unlike these girls, I was not born with shoulder pads. I moved the dress kit bust dart to the underarm as in the pattern and traced the dress from there to the hem following the pattern outline and lengthening it so my bare legs won't be exposed to subway seats.
Vogue has a facing for the neckline of the dress. I cut a strip of fabric crosswise, 3 inches wide and 10% shorter than the neckline length. The strip is sewn together on the short ends folded in half lengthwise, right sides out, and attached to the neckline. Quick and dirty. If I'd thought about it, I'd have stabilized the shoulder seams with seams great.
Because of the print on the fabric, the back could not be laid on the fold and I had to ad a center seam. If I had it to do over, I'd have moved at least some of the back dart take-up to the center back seam.
My photographer suggested the pose with my Mother's Day foxglove. I'd just finished sewing and ran out barefoot for the shot. When I wore my dress the first time I was able to accessorize it after all:
My favorite brooch, hacked from a 99 cent store ring by my favorite tech guy. No other bauble could stand up to this print.
