Vogue DKNY 1194

Well I finally finished my dress and was able to wear it to church today. Overall I was really pleased with it (it's so comfortable) and received a good deal of compliments. That's always a nice ending when you begin a project not sure if your fabric choice will work for the project. In those moments, as I've learned, you just go with your instincts and hope for the best. Fortunately my instincts were good.

After church we went out for Japanese food and on the way back to the car I saw this cool stairwell where I could take a few dress pics. Yes, don't laugh at me, but this is my feeble attempt to change up my background scenery. I'm no photography expert but sometimes doing things differently can be pretty fun. Here's my review.......

(Full View)

Vogue 1194

Pattern Description:
Pullover, mid-knee length dress has loose-fitting, front pleated and gathered bodice, bands (twisted front), raised waist, A-line, front pleated and back gathered skirt, side pockets, stitched hems and long sleeves.

Pattern Sizing:
I made the size 12

(Up close. Please excuse rail shadows on my dress. My photographer (Hubby) didn't warn me about these)

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes!

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Super easy! Only 30 or so steps. I cut this out a week or so ago and finally was able to sew it up this week. It went together in 2 evenings time:)

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I loved the style. From the pleating to the bodice and twisted band it was a really cute dress. Hey it's DKNY, what's not to love.

Fabric Used:
I used some mysterious red polyester knit blend. It either has some cotton or rayon in it. It was prone to a little wrinkling which concerned me. But fortunately some fabric sizing fixed that issue. I wasn't sure if this knit would absolutely work for the project since it was a lighter weight and I don't think it have the suggested spandex blend. But fortunately it worked just find and felt soooo comfortable. I originally didn't want to make this dress in red but since it was the only fabric in my stash I thought would work, I went with it. I'm glad I did, it's a great color on me.

 (Back view: Excuse lower seat & hem wrinkles from sitting at dinner)

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I did a few and they are as follows:
1. I used clear elastic to stabilize the shoulder seams.

2. I also used clear elastic to stabilize the neckline (the interfacing wasn't doing the trick and the neckline was a little too droopy). That did the trick.
Since I used the elastic I had to topstitch the neckline. I would have done that even if I didn't use the elastic, so the neckline facing wouldn't invert.

3. I raised the neckline 2" since it was way too low for my taste. This was an easy fix. I just sewed the neckline higher than they recommended. But be sure to do this before adding the elastic to prevent bulk in that area.

4. I omitted the pockets. Since I weren't sure the knit I picked would work I didn't want to add the pockets. Turns out my knit worked great and I wish I had added them. I love pockets and I'll just add them to the next one.

5. I chopped the sleeves down to 3/4

6. After looking at the pattern envelope pic I assumed the dress would be short on me (since I'm 5"9) so I added 4". Turns out it wasn't so I ended up chopping it off to the original length.

7. FYI: Unlike alot of people who reviewed this dress, I actually used the elastic in the band and the back of the dress. Since my knit felt a little lighter I thought it could use the help of the elasticized band and back band to help stabilize it. So since my knit wasn't heavy it worked well.  But if I had a heavier knit I'd rethink using the elastic to cut down on bulk.

 (Side view)

Would you sew it again?
Absolutely! I want one more, but with pockets.

Would you recommend it to others?
Wholeheartedly!!!!!

Conclusion:
Great dress! Great design! Great fit! This gets A++++++


Well on to the next project. There's a dress and cardigan pattern just ready to be cut out and sewn. Happy sewing to you.....