Have you ever made something that whenever you put it on you feel like Audrey Hepburn or a ballerina, or whatever your feminine ideal is? Well, Vogue 8645 is it for me. I LOVE THIS DRESS. I love its simplicity, I love the fabric I picked, the way it looks everything. And, the funny thing is it’s riddle with sewing errors!
Okay, maybe not riddled, but there are a few things I would do different next time.
- For one there is no interfacing for the neckline and you can see in the photos it is deep and needs a little support
- I botched the French seams so I ended up not doing them through out. But, I’m getting a lot of practice in so next time, they’ll be perfect (the pattern does not call for French seams)
- I would lengthen it just a an inch or two
- Might make a little cami or something
- I did not do the ties like in the artist rendering
- I think I’d like to experiment with sleeves, maybe a small cap sleeve
- I did not put in pockets
- I cut out the extra small
- Had a heck of time with the narrow hemmer foot – See below
- The blue fabric is a nylon crepe with various perfume bottles on it and the lining is a pink and white chiffon (yes those are birds!)
- Goes without saying, but I’ll be making this up in all sorts of ways
The hemmer foot is a bear to work with. I ended up going to trusty Threads who had a very detailed how-to on working with the narrow hem attachment. I think if you use a cotton it’s not such a problem, but with chiffon, Good Grief! what a task. I’m not going to go through a play by play. Read the Threads article and expect a lot of practice time, especially when working with slippery fabrics.
I ended up cutting off more fabric on the lining due to poor quality of the hem, that and the chiffon was fraying like crazy due to all the over handling. Anyway, its at a good point, not perfect but totally wearable and lessons learned. All Good!
The hemmer foot is on the right and the 1/4 foot is on the left. That is the foot I used to baste a 1/4 away from the edge in order to get my hem straightened out. Then I pressed up towards the 1/4″ mark and then folded it over again for a nice folded hem on the fashion fabric. I used spray starch which helped immensely. You can also see the botched mess from the rolled hem foot. Argh.
The internet has a lot of ladies sewing this. One complaint I hear is the amount of fabric is bothersome to a few. It seems like most used a cotton. I chose a silky, because I wanted a more drapey quality, with less fullness but you can see it’s still voluminous.
I’ve already got number two almost done, just need to attach the lining. I entered this version in Summer Dress Sew Along by Handmade by Heather. My first sew along!
Now if you’ ll excuse me, I’ve got some twirling to do.
Resources:
Threads Mastering The Narrow Hemmer Foot
Denver Sewing Collective 
[…] made this dress over the weekend. It is similar to Vogue 8645 I made last year. This is a very easy pattern to […]
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This type of fabric is hard to work with. I usually use my serger and serg along the hem line and then turn under with a 1/4 in straight stitch hem. It looks neat and has a good flow to the fabric.
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Yes, I think the serger might be the way to go. Good idea. I need a new one.
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YOU DID GREAT! No matter the trials you had to go through. You made it beautiful. It looks great on you. The fabric/color look good too.
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Thanks! I think I could wear it every day. So, must make more!
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You wearing that to Sew N Sudz tonight? I want to hear some more about the narrow hemmer, I use mine a lot and it is tricky!
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Crap. I fell asleep again!
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No wonder you love this dress. It shows; you look fabulous in it!
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Yes, I rarely smile when it comes to sewing. Something I need to work on. 🙂
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Very lovely. For a future version, you might raise (yes, raise) the hem an inch or so. You have nice legs, so show them! The straps seem a tad wide, you might make them 1/2″ to 5/8″ more narrow. The neck line is a bit deep, I would raise it up an inch. Just my thoughts. Look forward to seeing your other versions.
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On my, raise the hem!? Shocking, then they’ll call me a Floradora Girl!
As for the other alterations I think you’re right. When I wore the dress to work I wore a cami underneath and I was thinking of a cap sleeve or something for the next one. But, now it is feels like fall is fast approaching so I may wait for warmer temps to do another one.
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What is a Floradoara Girl? Yes, definitely raise the hem at least an inch. You are young and youthful looking. I am in Santa Barbara, CA, and we are in the middle of summer with a drought. No long or cap sleeves needed now!
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Lovely dress Jill. I can see why you’ll be making multiple versions and I can’t wait to see the next rendition! I love that you using a coordinating print for the lining. I would never have thought of that. You are so wonderfully creative!
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Well, thank you! It is nice to have a ‘success’ we need those to keep moving forward!
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