I’m back with another review post of past creations. If you’ve been following along you’ll know I was posting these monthly, but I thought it made sense to combine them into three-month chunks. My last post was in March, so today I’ll be covering how the garments I made from April to June 2013 fared one year later. Off we go!
(Click on the photo or the link below it to go to the original post.)
Vogue 8379 Knit Wrap Dress
I’ve worn this dress lots! As with my other versions of this pattern, this is a very practical yet fun addition to my wardrobe. It’s great for work or for special occasions, depending on how it’s styled or what kind of fabric you use. I’ve also worn this particular dress in the colder months by pairing it with tights and a cardigan.
This dress has received some nice compliments, perhaps the best one being “That looks expensive!” from the cheery cashier at Pret A Manger. I’ll take it! I want to make a dozen more versions of this pattern…
Nicola Dress by Victory Patterns
I wish I could say that I wore this dress more, but I didn’t! I did manage to bring it out a couple of times, including a sewing meetup happy hour a few months ago.
My biggest challenge with wearing this dress was the way the front overlaps would slip off in either direction (all the way up) as I sat down. I also noticed you could see my entire leg as I stepped forward! I just can’t pull that off without being super self-conscious. To make it wearable, I sewed in some snaps at the skirt and that helped a lot.
The armholes are also a little tight so I would lower them if I made another version. Even with its issues I do love the pattern. I wonder if going for a wider waist size (or adding an interior waist tie) would help overlap the pieces even more. I could even use V8379 above as a guide.
Sorbetto Top by Colette Patterns
I definitely wore this last summer, though it’s a little more loose fitting/boxy than I’m used to wearing (even tucked in). I didn’t like the white bias tape trim along the edges so I turned it to the inside and top-stitched it down. This lets the Liberty fabric shine, I think. If I made this top again I’d go down in size to make it slightly less boxy.
If you’ve made these patterns up, do you find yourself wearing them a lot? Do you have any questions about these makes?
I’ve been trying to take photos of myself wearing my handmade outfits out and about so I can use them in these posts, so I’ll try to incorporate those moving forward if possible! Have a great Fourth of July for those here in the U.S. :)
Love your knit wrap dress and sorbetto! I don’t think it looks too boxy on you at all! Nice makes, we’ll done!
Thanks, Angie! I’m thinking the Sorbetto will look nice with a full skirt.
I love that Vogue dress! And the Nicola, though I can hardly imagine how difficult it is to actually wear. I love the look of a wrap dress but am always concerned about wearability. The vogue pattern might be a good place to start!
Yeah, I know what you mean! Maybe it’s the difference between a knit and woven wrap dress? My knit wrap dresses are my most worn handmades to date.
I sympathize on the difficulty of wearing wrap skirts that go up at the center front like the Nicola. I made a similar skirt last year that I love in theory, but in practice I hardly ever wear it–whenever I do I spend the whole time worrying about accidentally flashing someone…
By the way, I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award (one of those awards that gets passed around the blogosphere, similar to the Liebster Award). :) More details are in my blog post about it, if you’re interested: http://wp.me/p3Fnjm-54 Cheers!
Ooo, thanks for the award! I appreciate it. :) And, yes, the wrap skirt on Nicola isn’t the easier to wear all on its own, at least for some of us!