It's October!! My most favorite month of the year, and the perfect time to use this lovely plaid linen I've been saving. I purchased it from a now out-of-business fabric shop in Austin (sadly), but it has the most wonderful hand. I stitched it up using
Vogue 8811, a great little pattern with french darts and kimono sleeves.
I've made this pattern once before, two years ago in a
spiderweb fabric for Halloween. We took those pumpkin patch photos the day my sister-in-law went into labor with my nephew! We snapped these at the Round Top Antique Fair - not nearly as exciting as the day my nephew was born, but a very nice day nevertheless.
The waist was way too long for me on that version, so I shortened it a bit and did a swayback adjustment to account for some pooling I was getting at the back. I also lengthened the skirt slightly. I liked the length of my last version on me, but I felt like it ruined the vintage look to have it a little shorter. I love that dress, though, and am so happy to have a version that I can wear for more of the year.
As with almost every garment I sew, my favorite part are the little details. The pocket on the bodice, the tie at the waist, and the back neck slit with thread loop are all excellent on this dress.
The neckline has a facing, and the armholes actually call for a facing, too. I found that to be cumbersome on my last version, though. Despite tacking down, those facings would misbehave and flip out on me and just added a lot of extra bulk. So I just hemmed it this time, and I like it much better.
Now, my only quibble with this version is that my dominant plaid stripe isn't running down CF. I remember thinking about it when I went to cut it out, but I was watching the Emmy's at the time and must have gotten distracted by all the fancy fashion and attractive men in tuxedos. I still ended up with a superb dress and another opportunity to perfect the craft on a future garment!
