Made by Me: Vogue 1194

Thank you so much for your get well wishes after my last post.  I'm pleased to report I'm feeling much better.  I think a few days of rest have done me the world of good.  So much so, that I managed to finish my red Vogue 1194 dress last week.

This is the pattern envelope:


And here is my finished dress.


I wish I was as tall and slim as the model, but I'm really happy with how this has turned out.

I had to make a few alterations, but it went together pretty easily. 

The first alteration - and one I always do - was to take about half an inch off the width of the shoulder.  I find almost every pattern is too wide across the shoulders for me, so I generally do this alteration as a matter of course now. 

I sewed the rest of the dress exactly as the pattern, then made a couple more alterations after I'd tried it on.  The first was to the V-neck.  This neckline is LOW!  I re-stitched it to be 2 and a quarter inches higher, but I could really go even higher than that.  I'll have to be careful when I bend down in this dress so that I don't flash my bra to everyone. 

The second size alteration I did was to take the waist in about half an inch on each side seam.  It was OK as it was, but this alteration just gives a bit more definition, which I like.

One thing to bear in mind when making this dress is that at the waist there are lots of layers of fabric.  The front twist is double layered, as is the back waistband.  When you add in the seam allowances of both these pieces, together with the front and back pieces there are 10 layers of fabric!  You'd want to choose quite a lightweight jersey for this dress otherwise this area could become really bulky.

I'd consider making this again - with a slightly higher neckline - maybe a bit shorter to wear as a tunic with jeans or leggings. 

I'm sorry I don't have any more photos - the light here is really strange today and I always find red really hard to photograph anyway.  You'll have to take my word for the fact that the back looks exactly like the pattern photo.





20 comments

  1. This red really is your color, it looks great! Spotted the same DKNY pattern posted by another blogger today: http://handmadebycarolyn.blogspot.com/2013/09/libra.html =)

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    1. Thank you. I used to wear a lot of red and had forgotten how much I like it. I saw Carolyns dress earlier, its so pretty.

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  2. Very pretty! I like this pattern so much. You look fabulous in red!

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  3. This looks great on you! I've been wanting to make this and I really appreciate your info on the bulk/layers and the low neckline. It will be good to know all that going into the project.

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    1. Thank you. Its a great pattern as long as you bear those poins in mind.

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  4. It is a lovely dress, Sam - and you could always wear a camisole underneath, then you could bend as low as you like. Glad you are feeling better.

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    1. Thats true, a camisole would work well under this. Thank you.

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  5. This is so pretty! And I have to admit I'm a little shocked that the original neckline was so low - what were they thinking? But all the mods you did made this dress just perfect for you!

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    1. Thanks Gail. Yes the front was so low it showed the whole of my bra band in the bottom of the V! Luckily it was an easy fix.

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  6. Gosh it's fabulous. I would love one of these. The red is fantastic and I love the wrap front. You'll have to get a fabulous bra to flash :)

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    1. Thank you. It's pretty much my favourite type of dress, I can definitely see at least one more being made and possibly I should buy a fabulous bra to wear with them. ;-)

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  7. This looks fab! I might have to get this pattern now. The red looks lovely on you.

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    1. Thank you. I think this style would really suit you.

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  8. Looks fab on you, red is definitely one of ypur colours :)

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    1. Thanks Jacq. I haven't worn red for ages, but I'm glad I decided to go with it for this dress.

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  9. So pretty... Love red...
    Proud your feeling better.

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  10. This is fantastic! You look great!!

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Thank you so much for your comment, every one is read and appreciated. It means a lot to me that you take the time to read and comment on my posts.