Although I was quite daunted when I realised I’d be dealing with 28 pieces of fabric/interfacing/lining, I was delighted with how this project turned out and how easily it came together! I made this for my sister and it was my first time fitting on another person, but the end result looks way more polished inside and out than I would have thought possible for something I made, given that I haven’t been sewing for that long!
What did you like?:
I was really impressed with how full the skirt was and how much body the dress had, given that it wasn’t a circle skirt. The fabric we were using was a one-directional African wax print that had to be cut cross-grain because that was the direction of the print. But with eight cleverly shaped panels we still got a lovely swingy dress that I’m sure my sister will twirl the night away in.
What did you dislike?:
The sizing seemed way off from the measurements table and I ended up having to take inches (literally!) out at the seams and centre back. Good thing there were so many seams!
What alterations did you make?:
Apart from having to go down what felt like a couple of sizes, the only alteration was to deepen the back neckline.
Would you recommend it to a friend?: Absolutely. I intend to get it in my size!
For further details on my experience with this pattern, please see my blog post: https://overonkingsdrive.com/2016/04/16/an-extraterrestrial-vogue-v8997/
Difficulty rating: Easy / Confident beginner. The hardest parts for me, as a newbie, were the princess seam curves (my first, but they came out fine first time!) and the suggested method of bagging out the the lining at the shoulders. I used an alternative method from Sew Over It.