Vogue 1250- My First LBD

This week I managed to finish V1250. I love this dress.
I used black matte jersey from Hancock's and took pictures at high noon so you can actually see the dress. I love this fabric, too. I'll be going back to get some more colors. In the meantime, this is my first Little Black Dress.

I think the finished dress looks a lot like the pattern photo. My skirt isn't quite as snug, but then I'm not a fashion model, so I think loose works better for me.

I wore the dress to work yesterday. It's actually probably a bit much for the office, but I dressed it down with the low heeled sandals in the photo, and with a simple pair of earrings. I got lots of compliments, and the dress was comfortable and fun to wear, so it all worked out. If I ever have anywhere fancy to go, I can dress it up with high heels and more dramatic jewelry, and still be comfortable. What more could a girl want?

I absolutely love the cowl neckline. Why haven't I made one of these before? You can bet I'll be making another one!

Here's the back. I cut a 16 from shoulder to low hip, where I eased out to an 18. I was worried that the one center back skirt seam would look wonky, but it turned out okay. I added one inch of length at the waist, but I don't know if I really needed to. When I first tried the dress on, it looked way too long through the torso and gave me an odd side sillouette. I ended up taking the waist in about 1/2" on each side to snug it up and give me some waist definition. It turned out okay, but if I make it again, and I'm seriously considering it, I might take some of that extra length out and see how it looks.

This was such an easy dress. All the blog posts and reviews were right about it, and I'm so glad I made it. There are only three pattern pieces, including the back neck binding, and everything goes together easily. The fit is great, and the design is simple, yet elegant. The only thing I'm not completely thrilled with is the finishing on the inside. My side seams are raw inside. No one but me will ever know, but it bothers me. Now that I've made it, though, I know what to do and my next version will be finished a little differently inside.

In other sewing news, I fussed with Butterick 5464 a bit and basted in some tucks to remove length from the back. I took out 1/2" across the shoulder blades, and another 1/2" across the back waist. With the original 1/2" I removed from the lower back, that's a total of 1.5" I have taken out of the back of this blouse! After I adjusted the length, I made the back darts a little longer, tapering them out better toward the hem. I think all these adjustments helped:

Yeah, the lower tuck is crooked (hey, it's just a muslin!) but the bubbling is gone, and so are the diagonal wrinkles. And I still have plenty of ease at the hip. Of course, the back of the blouse is now noticably shorter than the front. I have adjusted the pattern piece, and added a little extra at the hem to even it out. Now I just need to find a suitable fabric in my stash to try it again. Stay tuned to see if the next version actually turns out wearable!

So what are your sewing plans this weekend?