Tuesday, July 24, 2018

My Mullet Dress: Vogue 9237



This dress is all business in the front, party in the back. To be known heretofore as my Vogue Mullet Dress!



I bought this pattern a while back, even though it's not my usual silhouette. I made it up last fall, just as it got too cold to wear it. So I've finally managed to get some photos of it in its natural setting, and can finally share this one with you all.



Fabric choice was the hardest part of this dress: I couldn't decide what to combine but I knew I wanted a contrast back. And I wanted to use a drapey fabric so it wouldn't stick out too much on my short frame. One day I was in the fabric store and these two rayons were side by side on a sale table. Cue the angels singing!



It was a fairly straightforward sew, aside from the agony of carefully cutting all this shifty rayon. There are no seams or darts in the front, and one seam and a neck opening with a button & loop in the back.


I cut the ruffle on the bias so that the windowpane check was diagonal only on the ruffle. Just one more touch... though it did make hemming it a bit of a pain! I had to hang this for a day or two just to let everything relax enough to even it all out before hemming.


I like this quite a bit more than I'd expected (it even has side seam pockets!). The only problem I have with it is that the shoulder/overbust area is quite tight. I'm not sure if it's the design or if I didn't size it correctly, or if I should have shortened the bodice slightly between shoulder and bust to raise the bust point (a frequent change I make). It is wearable as it is, but if I were to remake it I would study that area more closely, and would definitely increase the bicep diameter of the sleeves. I'd also scoop out the front neckline a bit as it sits a little high and so has a funny little sag in it.




It's fun to wear though, and I do love both these fabrics. Good thing I have a little left of both of them...time to make a print-blocked top next, I think!




My husband and I had a lot of fun taking these photos in the garden at Churchill Circle - literally a traffic circle in our neighbourhood. The local Horticultural Society takes care of it and it is lovely. There were tons of tall lilies and phlox blooming so it also smelled divine. Of course, because it's the centre of a traffic circle, you also get interesting vehicles passing by!


6 comments:

  1. In quilting sewers 'fussy cut' to get just that particularly piece of fabric to show at a particular spot in their design, and this is just what you seem to do with sewing clothing. I love the way you mix your fabrics. You put a lot of thought into it. When you showed the back of your dress, I actually had a second take, to realise it belonged to the front! Because of the diagonal cut of the blue on the back to the straight of grain cut of the front, it almost gives a totally different look. And the floral still looks like it belongs.

    I agree rayon is agony to cut. Many of the lovely, soft drapey fabrics are.

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    1. I have a lot of fun figuring out how I want my finished product to look -- this one was a challenge and I do love the soft flowiness of it. But rayon, whew.

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  2. Very nice dress and interesting back part! Looks lovely on you!

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  3. Thank you for your review. I am just about to make up this dress and I thought the sleeves looked tight. I will now use the larger size for the sleeves.

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    1. That's probably a good idea! Good luck with your version :)

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