Vogue 2748 Issey Miyake dress

Reviewed by:	Ann Smith	About Ann Smith CA USA Member since: 8/24/02 Reviews written: 155 Sewing skills:Advanced Favored by: 186 people patterns reviewed: 152 Bio: I love to sew for fashion, especially unusual designs. I own way too many patterns and fabric! I hav...full profile
Posted on:	8/18/04 1:37 AM
Pattern Size:	Regular
Project Photo:
Pattern Photo:	Pattern Information provided by Ann Smith
Pattern Rating:	Easy to sew
Pattern Description: Here's a change, a Miyake design that is not puzzling at all. A straight forward design that is easy to sew. It is described as a close-fitting, straight dress, lower calf length with back straps extending into tie ends, no side seams and decorative stitching. Pattern Sizing: 2 pattern sizes: 8-10-12 and 14-16-18. I made size 8 at the shoulders and 12 at the sides with 1 1/4 inch added at the front sides and 1/4 at the back. I didn't do a normal full bust alteration as I wanted to keep the straight sided effect of the design so I just added to the seams. I also dropped the bust dart as I usually do . Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? I think so. Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, nothing strange here. What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Attractive and different looking summer sun-dress. I found it a little uncomfortable to wear because of the way the fabric extends over the shoulders onto the upper arm. It limited motion a little bit. If you need to wear a bra, you will need to find one that crisscrosses in the back (not a racer back). I was in a hurry to finish this to wear to an event and was done just in time but then I had to hunt a while to figure out which bra would work. I also found it hard to zip up as the side seam where the zipper is falls toward the back. I finally realized it was easier to reach around the back with my right arm to zip up that way. Fabric Used: A medium weight linen print. Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: Just normal altering for size. The pattern suggests decorative stitching in several places (shoulder seam, along darts, hem, across back facing, holding straps in place). I would not have done this because I didn't think it would should on my print but decided to because I felt like exploring the decorative stitches on my new machine. I probably spent as much time testing out different possible stitches as I did sewing the dress. I found a nice leaf stitch that looked good. I was amazed that someone actually noticed this stitching when I wore it as you can barely see it. It would be nice on a solid color with contrast thread. Hint....write down the stitch you choose if you leave your project in the middle and go on a trip. I had a hard time finding the same stitch again when I got back to the dress. I was sure it had somehow been deleted from my machine's program! Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I got many compliments on this dress when I wore it today. I would definitely recommend it unless you have limited mobility so that it would be difficult to zip. Here is the back view