We had the honour to be invited to attend the Cup Eve Reception at Government House. The evening celebrates the first Melbourne Cup run in 1861 when Victoria only began to find its feet as an independent colony. We chose to pull Vogue 1579 out of the cupboard and created a new Vogue 1802 for the occasion and pair it with pieces from Lauren’s millinery collection.
Vogue 1579 in Fabric Deluxe
Lauren wore a fabulous bird and butterfly with blue detail and a black background jacquard from Fabric Deluxe. We used Vogue 1579 to create the straight skirt with a fitted bodice and cape detail.
Vogue 1802
Erin wore Vogue 1802 a dress pattern from Sewdirect Australia that has a loose-fitting bodice with a neck tie and gathered dropped skirt. She stitched it up in a floral polyester crepe that we found in Spotlight.
Photo Credits
Photographer: James Christie Media Pattern: Vogue 1578 and Vogue 1802 Fabric: Blue and Black Jacquard from Fabric Deluxe and floral crepe from Spotlight Millinery: Lauren J Ritchie Millinery
When Sister Mag Patterns approached us about making one of their patterns we were excited to explore their collection. We were drawn the details of the 16-6 Sleeveless dress with the collar, epaulettes and unique tuck detail through the armhole. The dress features a pleated skirt that has a playful swing and long zipper in the back.
The pattern comes in at an at home A4 version and print shop A0 size. We opted for the A0 zero option and made sure to turn off the layers we did not need and just printed our size.
Fabrication
For the fabrication, Sister Mag recommends virgin wool, cool wool fabrics or a fabric that has a nice slightly heavier drape.
We ordered a lovely ink blue Cora 8 Wal Corduroy from Fabric Deluxe and ordered a little extra so that we could lengthen the skirt. We love the mod style of the skirt but are looking to make a dress we can wear into the office so a longer skirt was needed this time.
Construction Process
We are very visual when it comes to construction instructions. The instruction booklet features a set of dotpoints so we took photos as we constructed our version of the dress and have shared them below with a combination of their instructions and our own notes.
Alterations
The fit of the pattern was great so the only pattern alternation we made was 1cm lift for a sway back. In fabrication we didn’t use leather instead a lined side panel and continued the lining throughout the bodice.
As we mentioned before, to make it suitable for our office spaces we lengthened the skirt but kept the original line and fullness of the skirt.
Due to the heavy weight of the fabric we inserted an exposed zipper compared to an invisible zipper which would be suitable for a lighter fabric.
Step by Step
We lengthened the skirt to be below knee so measured from the existing hemline down.
Mark the points on the pattern for the fold breaks of the skirt
pin and stitch the pleats together 3 cm in at the top edges
Iron in the pleats in all skirt panels, noting they are box pleats
Sew the pleats to the top edges, keeping the pleats in a little on the inside, so there is no tension.
Overlock the side seams (we did an open seam due to the weight of our fabric). Sew side seams.
Draw darts in the front panel. Press darts up
Iron the folds along the drawn lines to the inside. Sew shoulder seams.
Create side panels by placing right sides together and stitch along the top – there was already seam allowance included in the pattern piece.
Understitch the lining and press
Place strips for epaulettes right sides together and sew together on the long edge, press and then one short side, turn and top-stitch foot wide.
Attached the epaulettes at the shoulder seam, only pinning the folded edge.
Mark seam line on lining
Cut back excess lining to include 1.5cm allowance
Pin side panels to the back panels and the front panel
It looks a bit messy but you can sew from the waist over the shoulder all the way down the back in one line
We pinned down the tuck
Top-stitch the fold over 4 cm / 1.6 in wide and sew on the side panels and epaulettes. We stitched from the inside as we could see an even line.
Ensure the epaulettes are free from the top stitching. This is how the bodice will look from the outside
Inside of bocide.
Interfacing the collar
Place 2 collar panels right sides together and sew together, leaving bottom edges open.
Understitch on underside of collar
Place right side together and close both ends of the collar
Turn through and press
Samwich the collar between the colour stand
Understitch the collar stand on the inside
Close ends of the collar stand
Place the collar on the inside of the neckline, stitch, press the seeam allowance up.
Fold the seam allowance of the outer collar stand under and pin. You can now top stitch or hand stitch to finish.
Place epaulettes over shoulder seams, stitch in place.
Press hem inward and stitching. Attached the skirt to the bodice
Overlock the waist seam and center back seam. Insert the zipper and done!
We are excited to be working with Fabric Deluxe to showcase this beautiful fabric for this project. We really wanted to make something from the range of Fancies and Textured fabric from the Fabric Deluxe selection. When we came across their Bird and Butterfly Cobalt Jacquard and knew that was it!
Fabric Deluxe is a fabric store based in Melbourne and has an online store. They aim to stock lovely, wearable fabrics that fit into the real life of their customers. Their stock is a variety of different fabrics including linens, viscose and wools for everyday wear to more special occasion pieces, which they like to call fancies. The approach of the Fabric Deluxe team is first that they are sewers too and understand the dedication of making a handmade garment.
Fabric Details
This fabric called for something special! The cobalt and blue tone pattern against the black background is such a strong design. The pattern within the design features a repeat of birds and butterflies amongst leaves and flower shapes.
To highlight the detail of the fabric, we needed to select a style that would best showcase this. It needed to respect the fabric and not cut through the pattern of the fabric. This means considering bust darts over princess lines, how a sleeve is drafted and if the skirt will fall straight or if a fuller skirt will showcase the pattern better.
We have previously made Vogue 1579 and loved how the cape falls over the shoulders. The cape is attached to the dress around the neckline of a sleeveless bodice. This was a great pattern to use for this jacquard fabric as the birds and butterflies could fly around the capeline, and it becomes a smooth showcase of the beautiful detail of the fabric.
Construction
We wanted to make sure we got the pattern placement and matching correct This means making sure there was a bird directly in the middle of the bodice and in the back of the cape. The bird appeared to be the most dominate feature of our eye. They repeats down the skirt with two mirror image birds sitting on the centre front.
The pattern design asks for the front and back to both be cut on the fold with an underarm zipper. As the skirt has a split in the centre back to allow for enough movement to walk it has a centre back seam. Check out our video to see how we shuffle the pieces around to achieve this cutting layout.
Constructing the bodice
The instructions list this as an “average” in terms of skill level required. If you can conceptualise how it comes together, it all makes sense. Even for an experienced sewer, it is worth stopping by the instructions for this one to make sure you have the openings in the correct spots and understand how the neckline finished under the cape.
The armholes are finished by leaving the shoulder seams open. This is a great method which used a lot for sleeve garments because it means you do not have to try to contort the garment to pull it through to stitch.
Hemming the Cape
As the cape was the hero of this design, it deserved to be beautifully finished. The jacquard fabric could easily “bruise” with a top stitch line, we chose to hand stitch the hem. On the underside of the fabric is contrasting, and because of the shape of the cape could be seen from some angles. To keep a smooth edge and prevent any stray threads from the jacquard weave showing we used a bias tape. This sits on the inside of the hem and using a pick stitch to catch the outer layer.
Center Back Split
The original pattern finished above the knee, however we chose to length this. We wanted this dress to have a longer line to show off the fabric. The pattern is a straight skirt, so this is an easy pattern hack to do. Keep the right angles of the side seams measure and mark an even amount down from the hem.
The Fabric Deluxe Team recommend lining this fabric as the underside is very textured and may feel rough against the skin. We defiantly agree with this recommendation, it is lovely quality fabric, but this is a natural trait for this type of weave. You want your garment to be comfortable and easy to wear, and a lining will help with this.
As this was a fitted dress, we would have lined the skirt anyway to help it set well while worn and move easily when walking, not cling to the body. This is how we finished off the inside of the split.
Finished Dress
The Bird and Butterfly Cobalt Jacquard from Fabric Deluxe was beautiful to work with. It has a natural body and structure to it. This was a great combination of fabric and dress pattern. We how the cape sat out around the body and just as we had planned the bird was placed on the centre focal points.
