Very Easy Vogue 8645: A New Sundress for Me

I bought this pattern in the winter, the fabric in late spring, and finally have made it up.  The pattern is simple-a mere four panels, plus a sash and shoulder ties.  It called for lining the dress, but I decided instead to choose a fabric that was opaque enough that transparency would not be a concern.  This was a pretty full dress so it called for more yardage than I am accustomed to buying-3 3/4 yards! That’s a lot when you’re used to making one yard dresses and skirts for little girls and tops for yourself. My point is-buying a very reasonably priced fabric made this dress cost $34. (By the way, then when I was out shopping one day and saw a sundress for $30 and thought it seemed a bit much I thought to myself, “But I really like the fabric this dress is made in, so it’s totally worth it to me.”) Which is totally fine given that it’s a lovely dress and no one else will have the same exact one, but when you can buy a $15 dress at Target it really points out that home sewing is not necessarily an economical thing.  I was thinking about that and how in all the books I’ve read having home sewn clothing was a sign of, not poverty, but perhaps tight means. And I wondered when did that change? When clothing became mass produced in Taiwan and Indonesia? When child labor made clothing production so cheap that stores can sell dresses for under $20? It’s interesting to think about that shift and how and when it may have happened.  But I digress. Let’s talk about my pretty dress 🙂
So I had all this fabric which sat on my table for a long time and then I finally cut it out.  The pattern calls for a longer length and a shorter length, the former too long and the latter too short, so I chose a point that suited me and that worked well. This pattern also calls for on seam pockets, which I’ve never made before. It was easy! They came out great!

Also, because the pattern called for a lining it did not make a plan for the neckline and armholes, but that was easy. I just made some bias binding for the armholes and the entire neckline could actually be turned under and stitched down (it was cut to accommodate the seam made with the lining, so that worked out fine.)

And here is the dress in full. I have to admit that when I make children’s clothes they look every bit as adorable as I anticipate they will on Tabby. But when I make a pattern for myself I am looking at the drawing on the packet that is a fashion line drawing of a size 2 type person. Which I am not. So the reality is always a little disappointing.

But I like it! And I would definitely make this pattern many times more. In fact, if I find summery fabric on mega sale at the end of the summer perhaps I’ll snap some up for new dresses for next summer.