The Last Wrap Dress (Vogue 8181)

The Last Wrap Dress (Vogue 8181)

The last wrap dress of the season, anyway. It’s starting to feel like fall here, which means it’s time to put away the sundresses and start working on jeans and coats. Blah real sewing! Before that happens, though, I wanted to get one last wrap dress in. I have really been living in these this year, the year of comfort. All of them have been easy, almost like secret pajamas but this one takes the cake…

Because it’s DBP. By DBP I of course mean double brushed poly, this one from LA Finch Fabrics. Hands done the softest fabric I have ever worn. I’ve heard people talk about how nice it is, but I didn’t really believe it until I used it. Take my word for it, it’s awesome. However, it is a fabric that “grows”. It also has a good bit of stretch, so factor that in. The pattern I used called for wovens or knits, so I definitely ended making some adjustments along the way.

Speaking of the pattern, I used Very Easy Very Vogue 8181, circa 1971. It’s a seriously fantastic pattern, I definitely intend to make more next summer. Vintage patterns can be hard to find, but I usually get mine (including this one) on Etsy. For me, it’s the easiest place. I’m far from an expert on the subject, so go with whatever you’re comfortable with, just try vintage patterns. I’m telling you, they’re fantastic.

Speaking of the pattern, I did make a few alterations. For starters, I moved the waistband opening, where the tie pulls through. I didn’t particularly care for the amount of coverage I was getting, so I moved to opening toward the front a bit. I also shortened the tie straps, with the stretch of the fabric they were just sooooooo long. If I was a smarter lady, I would have interfaced the bodice pieces as well. I don’t care for the stretch there, I wouldn’t mind a bit of support. I also totally, lazily, didn’t hem the skirt at all. It’s knit! Fuck it.

Other than these things, it’s pretty much just the pattern as is. The world’s most comfortable wrap dress. How’s your summer sewing going? Are you still at it or are you transitioning into fall wear? I’ve really enjoyed the ease and comfort of summer, but I am looking forward to challenge of more structured garments. Speaking of that: wool coating. Where do you guys buy it? Help a girl out!

The 32nd Birthday Dress (Simplicity 7484)

The 32nd Birthday Dress (Simplicity 7484)

I’ve been a terrible blogger lately, I know! I promised you guys a maxi sewalong wrap up post, and I SWEAR I’ll write that this week. Swear it. I’ve been struggling with how to display all the fabulous makes vs. my limited technical skills. It’s a problem. Additionally, work has been nuts. Excuses I know, but I don’t want anyone to think I forgot about them! Until I can get that post up, I wanted to share at least something. This dress is equally as old, my birthday was the 27th, but I wanted to post it nevertheless. The pattern may look familiar and it’s yet another lemon dress, but I think it’s worth talking about anyway. Here we go…

The pattern is vintage, Simplicity 7484, which you may recognize as last year’s maxi pattern. I wear the shit out of that dress, so I knew I wanted to make another this year. I’m all about rayon lately, so for the the fabric, I went with this amazing navy lemon fabric from Etsy. It comes in both white and navy, and it is just a dream. It has a very lovely “wobble” and is just the right weight for summer.

Even though I love the fabric weight, I knew I would need to line the bodice cups. I prefer not to announce the temperature, if you know what I mean. I also had a bit of a problem with the bodice front gaping on my previous version, so I added a little clear elastic along the edge this time. This was all brilliant in theory, but for the life of me, I couldn’t get the fucking notches on the bodice to match up on the waistband. In end, I said fuck it, gathered it a bit, and moved on. Being honest, I don’t really love the gathered look. I might eventually unpick the seam and redo it. But…I think we all know I’m pretty lazy, so don’t count on it! Other than these changes, it’s basically the same as my previous version, I won’t bore you with repetitive pattern details.

I also didn’t properly hem this. Its’ on my list of things to do, I swear. Of course I finished this dress last minute, quite literally. I finished it actual minutes before I had to run out the door to meet friends for dinner. It was hectic. I kinda wish I had made the maxi version, but I’m not smart and just didn’t order enough fabric. I’m a hot mess, that’s what I’m trying to say in this post.

Despite the shenanigans, I have worn this dress, unhemmed 😨, since then. Don’t even care. It’s so easy to wear and fits in with my summer of no bras initiative. No zippers or buttons to fuss with, just slip on, tie a knot, and go about your day. Comfort is king around here lately, which is a big change from the corsets and boning of years past. I suppose the older you get, the less fucks you give? Or is that just me? I hope your summer sewing is going well, stay tuned for a maxi wrap up (I promise) and one more halter dress. Happy sewing 🙂

This post contains affiliate links