Vogue 8870 - Summer Time!

I absolutely LOVE this dress!!!  I have been working on it for a couple weeks despites it's Very Easy status.  Unfortunately I came down with a monster cold just after cutting it out.  Happily though, I now have a part time job outside the house and am sewing more and wearing real clothes!  Yeah!!!  I never realized how much joy I get out sewing, fashion, and wearing pretty things.  LOL

Ok, so this dress is very easy.  I bought a bunch of rayon challis from FabricMart a couple sales ago and I actually bought this fabric for this dress...that never happens.  It's very thin and floaty but not see through, turned out to be a perfect choice.  I think anything stiff at all for this dress would create a shelf look at the hip no matter how thin your hips are.  There is a lot of fabric there to give the blouson look.

The pattern has raglan sleeves, wrapped bodice with facings that actually work nicely, and the high low hem.  I can't honestly say which hem I cut, I think I cut a combination of them accidentally.  This went together very easily.  I decided because of the lightness of fabric that I would do all french seams and I'm very glad I did.  They look so nice and add some stability.

This is a straight Large size.  That was the smallest in the envelope.  The Large pretty much matches my measurements.  I usually go with a smaller size in the shoulders though and could have done that with this.

I did not make any pattern alterations but if and likely when I make this again I will.  I'm always in a quandary on how to fix the fact that I'm short waisted but very full busted.  The length on a bodice is usually ok for me adding in the extra needed for the bust but sometimes it doesn't work quite right.  So, I think I will raise up the shoulders on this next time and add at least an inch, maybe 2 to the bodice.  It hits right at my natural waist, which is unfortunately right below my bust.  I'm not sure you can see in the photos but it's kind of pulling the bodice forward on my shoulders.  It's not the end of the world on this one but I'd like to make it better for the next.

I know the high/low hem is on trend right now but this is a great basic dress and you can always change the hemline.  I'm always looking for cute things to make that look good on me in wovens.

Thanks for remembering me!  LOL...it's been so long since I've been sewing and blogging but I plan to keep up on it again.  I have another dress sewn already and one on the cutting table for more posts shortly!

Here are a mixture of pictures, some with a belt, some not.  I really like it with the belt.