Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Vogue 1265 - Pamella Roland maroon wool crepe dress

It only took an entire month for me to make but I finally have a new dress! This Pamella Roland pattern, Vogue 1265, came out in 2011 and I just loved it. It's such a fun design - all business in the front and party in the back. There are hardly any reviews for it on patternreview.com and it's now out of print. (Anyone else feel sorry for these types of designer patterns that are lovely but largely ignored?) The envelope gives it an average skill rating and it's not a really difficult thing to make, but there is a ton of fabric in the skirt and that part gets attached early. It's a lot to keep up with and work around.


I made a muslin of the body and front skirt, but not of the back flared skirt. Based on that I cut a size 10 in the front from the arms down, tapering out to a 12 through the waist. For the back I cut a 12 from the shoulders to the waist, and a 10 from the waist to the hips. The front darts had to be pulled in a bit as there wasn't much bust shaping underneath them. I shortened the front slit at least 2 inches for personal preference. It's really just a design element as you don't need it to be able to walk well. The fabric at the shoulders extended out a little too far, and I do not have narrow shoulders. I cut 1/2 inch from that area, tapering to nothing at the sleeve sides.


I bought the fabric online somewhere several years ago. It's a nice weight wool crepe, which is always a well behaved fabric to work with. It drapes and presses well. The lining is Ambiance purchased locally.


This back skirt was quite a bit of work. The instructions have you pin it to another piece of fabric and let the bias parts stretch for 24 hours. I then basted it the the back pieces, pinned it to my dressform, and marked the hemline as straight as I could. After I trimmed away the uneven bits of the crepe, I lined it up with the lining and trimmed the lining as needed. There is a double pleat at the center back and two pleats at either side back seam, making for an extremely full skirt. Because the lining is sewn to the bottom of the skirt, there is no hem to turn up and sew invisibly, THANK GOODNESS.


One thing the instructions call for is interfacing all of the dress body except for the back skirt and the sleeves. I was unsure of what this would look like and didn't want a really stiff dress. However, I went ahead and interfaced everything with a nice weight woven fusable and the result is a dress that holds its shape but is not stiff.


Obligatory twirling picture:


Dressform pictures:
(The lighting in my room is mostly indirect this time of year and this fabric really soaked it up. I had to use a flash and lighten these pictures up quite a bit. I'm sorry if they're hard to see.)


There is an invisible zipper down the left side, which I ordered in a matching maroon from NYC. You can see the slight color difference in the crepe and the lining. I really like when the lining peeks out at the hemline when I'm walking or sitting. It's subtle but adds interest to a solid colored garment.


Here you can see the front lining. I really like how the front facing extend down to the slit area along the hemline.


There was a bit of handstitching involved. Here I have sewn the back body lining down invisibly to the top of the back skirt lining.


I changed the sleeve insertion slightly. I won't go into a lot of detail but I ended up using bias tape to finish off the armhole and then stitched it invisibly by hand to the dress lining. I did a similar finish to the sleeves on this dress, oddly enough another Pamela Roland design. You can read about it on that post if you want.


I adore my new fall wardrobe addition. It has that heavy weighted feeling of an expensive garment, if you know what I mean. I have plans to make some sort of sequined or beaded top to wear underneath. Now, on to something that doesn't involve miles of fabric or tedious fitting tweaks!

82 comments:

  1. I feel like such a stalker. I have this pattern too and am thrilled to say it made up. This is just the kind of dress that would have worked in my old job. I LOVE this color on you and am jelly you have hot matching shoes too. Your finishing techniques are just impeccable. Nice work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Renee! This is one of my college colors, so you would think I'd have more of it in my closet. The shoes I already had. Me thinks I need more maroon in my wardrobe in order to wear them more.

      Delete
  2. Your dress is stunning and as always your construction impeccable.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a lovely and intriguing dress. Gorgeous color.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Robin! I always enjoy sew projects with interesting design lines.

      Delete
  4. Just wonderful!! Love it!! Your shoes are a perfect match :O). You did a amazing job on this!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Absolutely GORGEOUS Amanda!! Such meticulous work, Chanel could not do better! You have an amazing figure for a lady with 4 kids!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is really a beautiful design!!!! It looks fantastic on you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. That dress is simply stunning. I love it on you!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I pretty much want to either outright copy or steal every garment you make, and this one is no exception. Gorgeous! And you even have matching shoes!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, worth the effort, it is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a nice dress. It looks lovely on you. I like the color. One of the pantone colors of the season, marsala. I love your blog page, and can't wait to see what you've created next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, I like the name marsala. Sounds so much more chic then "maroon". Thanks Bpatricia74!

      Delete
  11. great color - love it. You and the dress both look fantastic. I love the details in so many of the Vogue designer patterns, lovely linings, etc. The back view is so nice and I think this pattern could be turned into a skirt as well. P.S. i love wool crepe also, it's my go-to fabric for a nice dress that will last for ages and always look good. plus the colors are yummy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Beth! These Vogue designer patterns are just the best for interesting details, I totally agree.

      Delete
  12. This is stunning Amanda! Beautiful colour, details and construction. I love the back!

    ReplyDelete
  13. OMG!!! This dress is all that! Amaaaazing Aaamaaaannnnndaaaaaaa! (In my Ring Master voice!)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Perfection, as always, and I love that you have matching shoes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kyle! Those shoes are surprisingly comfortable. I got them a few years ago but haven't worn them as much as they deserve.

      Delete
  15. Gorgeous as always! Love the fun back!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your dress is stunning! The color is gorgeous and it fits you beautifully. So beautiful and the shoes are perfect with it.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Love the dress especially the back! You did an amazing job!

    ReplyDelete
  18. You've done a great job - looks worth the effort. I love the style and the colour.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Truly lovely! The fusing makes the wool crepe look even more luxurious. I guess the body needs that extra weight with the full back skirt. A beautiful fit and finish!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh thanks Sherry! I am keen to try fusing other fabrics that are of lighter weight, especially when making something fitted and structured.

      Delete
  20. Gorgeous dress and the back is such a lovely surprise. Love your shoes too.

    ReplyDelete
  21. A gorgeous dress! I love the photos of your finishing details. I'm also super jealous of your hot shoes!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Lisa! They are the brand "Fergie" from Amazon a few years ago and are surprisingly comfortable!

      Delete
  22. This looks so gorgeous and expensive! You always do such an impeccable job on your garments! Just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow! This dress - color, fabric, and execution is spot on! I'm not a big shoe person but your shoes are fab! Karen

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'm so glad you posted about this pattern. I've loved it since it first came out, but couldn't figure out why no one had made it. I assumed it was because it was an inferior pattern, and more accomplished sewers knew something that I didn't. The dress is just beautiful and looks fantastic on you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I'm not sure why certain patterns never get made up, except that they are somewhat complicated and it seems like most people go for the quick and simple. The drafting was great except for the shoulders being a bit wide. You should definitely go for it! Thanks Rory!

      Delete
  25. Beautiful! I always enjoy the finishing details you embrace in your sewing.

    ReplyDelete
  26. It looks not that difficult, but I know, if you start then you get the surprises.
    But it looks great on you!
    wilma

    ReplyDelete
  27. You look so beautiful in your new dress!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Such a pretty dress, inside & out!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Gorgeous dress and such a lovely color on you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Mushy! I do love this color. Not sure why I don't own more of it!

      Delete
  30. This is beautiful Amanda and the colour suits you very well.

    ReplyDelete
  31. This is so beautiful Amanda! A real work of sewing art! The fit is gorgeous and wool crepe was the perfect choice for this lovely design

    ReplyDelete
  32. Love, love love this. Worth the months work its fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
  33. its workded brilliantly and looks fabulous on!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Amanda
    I clicked on your link over to the Vogue website to get a better look at this pattern. I noticed it is not recommended for the rectangle shape. I rely heavily on these recommendations. What shape do you consider yourself? Not trying to get too personal, I just think this dress looks fabulous on you, and you seem to have a rectangular shape yourself. Not judging, just admiring!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I'm totally a square or a rectangle, you are right about that! I always try to pick patterns that have some visual interest up at the top to give me a bit more volume than I really have. It surprises me that this pattern wouldn't be recommended for rectangles. It's got the top collar and bottom full skirt, both of which add volume and give the illusion of a smaller waist. If you like the pattern you should definitely go for it!

      Delete
  35. What a wonderful pattern - and a gorgeous dress. You look great in it.
    You are the most accurate sewer I have ever seen so far, just adorable - you are my hero at the sewing machine ;)
    Greets,
    Liese

    ReplyDelete
  36. I love that dress!! I want one!!

    Great blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Gorgeous dress and beautiful work as usual, Amanda.

    ReplyDelete
  38. OMG where have I been all these while...lol. Impeccable craftsmanship, the dress is super stunning. Great job as always

    ReplyDelete
  39. This dress is gorgeous! I really love the color.

    ReplyDelete