6 years ago
Inspiration
I am Crystal of Crystalsewsandstuff and I am back to share my experience sewing with this lovely Navy Blue Viscose Jersey Fabric from Minerva. The print on this fabric has a unique geometric design with its thicker and thinner lines throughout the pattern that I love. When I saw the video of this piece on the website, I knew it would be perfect for a flowy long-sleeved dress for Autumn and Winter. I chose Vogue 1558 by Rachel Comey because of the interesting style lines that are in tune with this season’s fashion trends. It is a loose-fitting dress with a nipped-in waist and long raglan-style sleeves that puff out at the wrist. The high neckline and pleating at the waist also give this pattern a unique flair that stands out among other dresses of this type. I have been seeing similar styles all over the runway lately and I wanted to put my own spin on this style.
Sewing and Alterations
I sewed a size twelve for the bodice and graded out to a size fourteen at the waist and hips according to my body measurements. For my size, this pattern requires 3 and 1/8th yards/2.9 meters of fabric and I used every bit of that yardage(meterage) to make up this dress! I raised the waistline by two inches to account for my short waist. I also shortened the sleeves by about two inches by cutting them out at the size six sleeve length.
Upon reviewing a few blog posts and reviews online; I decided to make a waist stay to prevent the waistline from drooping from the weight of the skirt. To do this, I sewed a strip of petersham ribbon along the waist seam to stabilize and give it more support. I used a size 10/70 ballpoint needle on my sewing machine and finished all the seams on the serger. This dress closes with an invisible back zipper that took me a few tries to perfect. I was getting a little too close to the zipper teeth and had to unpick it a few times. Fortunately, I remembered to interface the fabric underneath the zipper tape to help the zip lay flat during the installation process. I sewed a three-inch hem instead of the 1.25-inch (2.5 cm) hem recommended in the pattern. The dress still hits me at maxi level as I am only 5’2” tall; but I love way the length of this dress looks on me.
To hem the dress, I serged the hemline and used the blind hem stitch for lightweight and knit fabrics on my machine. This was my first time using a machine blind hem on a knit fabric and I love how the stitches are practically imperceptible. I will certainly add this hem technique to my sewing repertoire in future garments.
Styling
When imagining this dress, I knew I wanted to style it with some cute booties. I chose my favorite velvet blue boots by Unisa and they really bring out the blues in the fabric’s print. Additionally, I felt that while this dress looks nice without a belt, it really shines with one. For this look, I used a shawl scarf that came with a formal gown from my closet and tied it as a belt. I embellished it with a cute dragonfly brooch from my late grandmother for a little more pizazz. I added some cute earrings and a silver bangle, and my look was complete.
Final Thoughts
This is a straightforward pattern that I would recommend to those who consider themselves at an advanced beginner and above level. The dress has a significant amount of pleat detail including a few at the front and back waistline as well as on the sleeves. These steps are more time consuming than difficult, but I believe most will be able to handle this pattern without issue.
This fabric was easy to work with and is the perfect weight for this style. It would also look great as a cute wrap or cowl neck top. Minerva also has several other print and solid viscose jerseys to suit your style. You will love whatever garment you decide to sew with this beautiful textile!
To see more of my makes please check me out on YouTube and Instagram @crystalsewsandstuff
XOXO
Crystal
#minervamakes #minervamakers #isew #memade #memades #sewing #sewist #sewists #sewinginspo #sewinginspiration #sew #sewcialist #sewingproject #sewingprojects #sewingideas #sewingprojectideas #sewingpatterninspo #lovesewing #ilovesewing #sewsewsew #sewersgonnasew #makersgonnamake #sewaholic #sewaholics #shareyoursewing #sewinglove #handmadewardrobe #handemadeclothes #isewmyclothes #diyclothes #dressmaking #fabricinspo #seamstress #memadeeveryday #imakemyclothes #imakemyownclothes #fashion #fashioninspo #memadewardrobe #memadefashion #diyfashion #diywardrobe #fashionsewing #vogue1558 #v1558 #1558 #voguepatterns #sewingdresses #sewingjerseydresses #sewingwithjersey #jerseysewingprojects
I am Crystal of Crystalsewsandstuff and I am back to share my experience sewing with this lovely Navy Blue Viscose Jersey Fabric from Minerva. The print on this fabric has a unique geometric design with its thicker and thinner lines throughout the pattern that I love. When I saw the video of this piece on the website, I knew it would be perfect for a flowy long-sleeved dress for Autumn and Winter. I chose Vogue 1558 by Rachel Comey because of the interesting style lines that are in tune with this season’s fashion trends. It is a loose-fitting dress with a nipped-in waist and long raglan-style sleeves that puff out at the wrist. The high neckline and pleating at the waist also give this pattern a unique flair that stands out among other dresses of this type. I have been seeing similar styles all over the runway lately and I wanted to put my own spin on this style.
Sewing and Alterations
I sewed a size twelve for the bodice and graded out to a size fourteen at the waist and hips according to my body measurements. For my size, this pattern requires 3 and 1/8th yards/2.9 meters of fabric and I used every bit of that yardage(meterage) to make up this dress! I raised the waistline by two inches to account for my short waist. I also shortened the sleeves by about two inches by cutting them out at the size six sleeve length.
Upon reviewing a few blog posts and reviews online; I decided to make a waist stay to prevent the waistline from drooping from the weight of the skirt. To do this, I sewed a strip of petersham ribbon along the waist seam to stabilize and give it more support. I used a size 10/70 ballpoint needle on my sewing machine and finished all the seams on the serger. This dress closes with an invisible back zipper that took me a few tries to perfect. I was getting a little too close to the zipper teeth and had to unpick it a few times. Fortunately, I remembered to interface the fabric underneath the zipper tape to help the zip lay flat during the installation process. I sewed a three-inch hem instead of the 1.25-inch (2.5 cm) hem recommended in the pattern. The dress still hits me at maxi level as I am only 5’2” tall; but I love way the length of this dress looks on me.
To hem the dress, I serged the hemline and used the blind hem stitch for lightweight and knit fabrics on my machine. This was my first time using a machine blind hem on a knit fabric and I love how the stitches are practically imperceptible. I will certainly add this hem technique to my sewing repertoire in future garments.
Styling
When imagining this dress, I knew I wanted to style it with some cute booties. I chose my favorite velvet blue boots by Unisa and they really bring out the blues in the fabric’s print. Additionally, I felt that while this dress looks nice without a belt, it really shines with one. For this look, I used a shawl scarf that came with a formal gown from my closet and tied it as a belt. I embellished it with a cute dragonfly brooch from my late grandmother for a little more pizazz. I added some cute earrings and a silver bangle, and my look was complete.
Final Thoughts
This is a straightforward pattern that I would recommend to those who consider themselves at an advanced beginner and above level. The dress has a significant amount of pleat detail including a few at the front and back waistline as well as on the sleeves. These steps are more time consuming than difficult, but I believe most will be able to handle this pattern without issue.
This fabric was easy to work with and is the perfect weight for this style. It would also look great as a cute wrap or cowl neck top. Minerva also has several other print and solid viscose jerseys to suit your style. You will love whatever garment you decide to sew with this beautiful textile!
To see more of my makes please check me out on YouTube and Instagram @crystalsewsandstuff
XOXO
Crystal
#minervamakes #minervamakers #isew #memade #memades #sewing #sewist #sewists #sewinginspo #sewinginspiration #sew #sewcialist #sewingproject #sewingprojects #sewingideas #sewingprojectideas #sewingpatterninspo #lovesewing #ilovesewing #sewsewsew #sewersgonnasew #makersgonnamake #sewaholic #sewaholics #shareyoursewing #sewinglove #handmadewardrobe #handemadeclothes #isewmyclothes #diyclothes #dressmaking #fabricinspo #seamstress #memadeeveryday #imakemyclothes #imakemyownclothes #fashion #fashioninspo #memadewardrobe #memadefashion #diyfashion #diywardrobe #fashionsewing #vogue1558 #v1558 #1558 #voguepatterns #sewingdresses #sewingjerseydresses #sewingwithjersey #jerseysewingprojects
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