I finally made it! I’ve been sitting on this lovely peach-covered jersey and Vogue V8896 since 2016 and I finally mustered the courage to cut and sew it. As per usual, it was much easier than I feared and I was able to sew up this dress in just a few hours. They don’t call it Very Easy Vogue for nothing!
It wasn’t just my irrational fear of sewing jersey that kept me hoarding this fabric. These peaches remind me of my first baby, Runaway Apricot, a blog focused on healthy cooking from scratch. Though I’ve been sewing for 4 years now, I’ve never introduced my sewing to my cooking audience. Ironically, a major reason I started sewing was to learn how to learn again and connect better with the audience for my recipes and writing. The same trepidation I feel when cutting into a new fabric is what beginner cooks feel when cutting into a new vegetable. I’ve learned from my fears and perhaps this dress can be the perfect opportunity to blend my worlds as a lifestyle blogger?
This wrap dress is as comfortable as it is cute. A few of my favorite dresses throughout the years have been jersey wrap dresses like Diane Von Furstenberg’s iconic style. The shape is super adaptable so it’s always been a safe buy for a tall girl, even if the waist ties were often too high. I lowered the waistline to just the right spot and didn’t need any fit changes for the skirt length. The gathers in the bodice and generously wide skirt offer a good amount of coverage – no wardrobe malfunctions here!
What do you think of my peach apricot wrap dress? Time already to make another? I just need some more fabric!
Pattern
- Vogue V8896, View B
- Sewing Difficulty – 2/5
- Sewing with knits still warrants an extra difficulty point. It’s quick but skilled work.
- Fit Difficulty – 1/5
- If I can get my hands on more jersey like this, I’m making another right away!
Fabric
- Cotton-lycra jersey knit featuring peaches on a khaki green background
- I’m not sure of the original source of my fabric, but it’s available online here.
Fit & Modifications
- I measured the distance between the high point shoulder and bust point and chose to add length above the bust rather than at the lengthen and shorten line. I added 1.5″ inches in length and, by fixing the curve of the front, got about a 0.5″ FBA on each side.
- To lengthen but account for my sway back, I added 1.5″ to the back at the side seams, narrowing to 1″ in the center back.
- I cut a size 16 but graded to size 14 at the waist for the bodice and skirt.
- No length was added to the skirt of the maxi dress so it would fall at ankle length. I prefer this length to a full maxi because it means no tripping up subway stairs in NYC.
- When I make this again, I’ll shorten the neckline in the back slightly.
Tips for sewing knit fabrics
- Use a ball point or jersey needle to sew with stretch fabrics. Practice all of your stitches on scrap fabric before sewing your garment.
- If your fabric is getting stuck under the needle when you start sewing, move your fabric forward so more of the fabric is under the presser foot.
- Be careful not to stretch the fabric as you feed it through your sewing machine as the hems will get wavy. Some minor curling will come out with a steam iron.Β
- Use stay-tape at the shoulder to prevent this important seam from stretching out of shape.Β
- Straight stitch at shoulders and for all of the narrow hems. There’s no need for the hems of this garment to stretch for wear.
- If you have a serger/overlocker, use that for side seams, skirt, waist and anywhere that needs to stretch. It will be much faster than other stretch stitch methods.
