a lovely dress to show off pretty fabric

I’d bought some slippery crepe de chine with a beautiful large-scale botanical print to make a dress for a summer wedding and I wanted a pattern that would show it off to its best advantage and not chop it into small pieces. We were also in the middle of a heatwave so I didn’t want it too close-fitting either plus legs and arms covered too-so many requirements! I used The Foldline database to narrow down my choices to 3 patterns which were SOI Eve and one I can’t now remember. I settled for the Vogue pattern because I felt more confident that the fit would be good, I liked the darts in the bodice to give a smoother line, I like the length and the flutter sleeves are very pretty. First I made a version in some viscose just to check the fit-I slightly lengthened the bodice but otherwise it was very ‘true to size’ for me. I lined the bodice and skirt of the crepe de chine version but overall I was very happy with it. It’s an ‘easy Vogue’ pattern and overall I think the instructions and illustrations are very good. I’ve always thought of Vogue as being expensive patterns compared to the other big brands but these days they compare very favourably in price to Indie patterns, and can often be far superior in their originality. If you’d like to read a full review of this pattern you can find it on my blog at susanyoungsewing.wordpress.com. I hope you find it helpful.