Made By A Fabricista: Two twill suiting sheath dresses (Vogue DKNY 1809)

Hello everyone! I usually gravitate towards fit and flare silhouettes when it comes to dresses, but this time I decided to fill a blank in my wardrobe and make myself sheath dresses!

I digged into the marvelous Milly collection again and selected two twill suitings for my August makes. When I saw them 'in person', I thought they would lend themselves well to that type of dress plus, as a bonus, I think those 2 sheath dresses will transition well into the cooler season ahead!

The pattern: Vogue DKNY 1809

I bought this Vogue Donna Karan pattern earlier this summer on Ebay and could not wait to try it; this is a sheath dress pattern with 3 options. I chose view C, size 10 - cannot be more classic than that!

This is a very well drafted pattern; you can find many beautiful versions of it on internet. The only modifications I made were to add 3 cms to the hem on view C as I could see it was shorter than views A and B which are already short themselves, and to pinch .5 cms at the inner point of the shoulder line and at CB seam, tapering to nothing, to solve a mini gap issue. I must have a small neck base or something 'cause I always experience some gaping in that area.

Dress #1: Made with lucky green/black/espresso floral cady suiting by Milly

I had originally selected this bold twill print by Milly to make something else, but when the fabric arrived the hand was different than what I had expected (much more supple and drapey) so I changed my plans accordingly. 

That fabric is just gorgeous and it would be right for so many projects: dresses, blazers, skirts, dressy pants, etc. It is substantial and has a little stretch widthwise, and the wrong side is white and has a rubber like feel. If you are interested, there is still some left here: Milly floral suiting fabric

My goal was to break the bold print as little as possible, so a sheath dress like Vogue 1809 seemed to be ideal (not too many seams, and front and back darts for shaping).

Some tips to work with this fabric:

1- This poly/spandex twill presses beautifully, but don't put your iron too hot

2- A Microtex Schmetz sharp needle is a must to get through the texture of the fabric

3- Pin inside the seam allowances; otherwise you risk snagging on the right side

4- Better make a muslin first; unpicking a seam might leave permanent white holes that are visible even after ironing
5- This is a 'technical' fabric - scuba like if you will - , you don't have to finish the seams if you don't want to

That fabric was very enjoyable to sew, and this garment, although simple, feels like a designer dress because the print is so special. It hugs your curves while allowing freedom of movement, and a big plus is that it doesn't wrinkle! Just perfect for going to the restaurant, a cocktail or for a corporate type of even somewhere!

Dress #2: Made with red drapey twill suiting by Milly 

I had originally selected this beautiful red drapey twill with nothing specific in mind; I'm like that, I like a fabric, and I order it knowing I will eventually chose something that will showcase its nature and qualities.

Since I had just made Vogue 1809 and it fit so right, I thought I would use that pattern again and make myself a red sheath dress. 

The fabric sewed equally beautifully. This particular color is now sold out, but here are other options that would be great substitutes.

1- red twill suiting

2- vermillion red double faced twill suiting

3- bright burgundy twill suiting

Or why not browse the suiting pages, where you will find plenty of other colors?

I really enjoyed working with those twill fabrics, they were easy to sew, press, and they don't wrinkle. I know those 2 dresses will transition well into fall (just add some nice pantyhose and a nice jacket) and they really fill a gap in my wardrobe. I have no idea why I waited so long to make myself sheath dresses!

Thanks for reading, and see you for next post in September!

Virginie

from

Jazz Couture