Pattern Review: Vogue 8727

I figured I would work my way backwards with what I have made in the past few months.  Most recently, Vogue 8727 - a summer dress for my sister.

Vogue 8727

Here is my version:

I made view E (blue picture from pattern envelope)

The front on a person!  With pockets!

The back on a person!  Still has pockets!

Invisible-ish zipper!

I added a waist stay because this dress is HEAVY.

Very full skirt - great for twirling.

My sister picked out this fabric a while ago and wanted a dress for summer, so once she got home from school I made this up for her.  I like sewing for her - she requires far fewer pattern alterations than I do.

Pattern Description: Lined dress with two top and three skirt options.  The tops are either halter style or covered back with a zipper.  The skirt is either a pencil style, or a full skirt (in two lengths) with pockets.  I made view E - the zippered back and shorter length full skirt.

Pattern Sizing: (6-8-10-12-14) and (14-16-18-20).  Although I include sizing info for patterns I made for myself, I won't include sizing info when I sew for others.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  This was a super easy dress!  There are a lot of steps in the instructions, but they break down the construction step by step and it is really simple to follow along.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the envelop once you were done with it? Yes!  Since the style is very simple it looks remarkably like the drawing on the envelope.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  I really like the finished product.  The pattern is well drafted and I think it would look good on many body types.  I like the options for the top and skirt, and I LOVE the pockets on the full skirt.  Some dislikes: it uses a LOT of fabric, which makes it heavy, and it takes forever to cut out the skirt (8 pieces for the main fabric, 8 pieces for the lining), and it takes forever to hem it.  Also, since the front midsection piece is curved, it is a bit difficult to sew to the top pieces without getting some of the extra gathered fabric caught in the stitches, so it is best to go very slowly and be very careful while sewing these sections together.

Fabric used: Cotton sateen with some stretch, and a very light poly lining.  I used 4 yards of the cotton sateen and about 2.5 yards of the lining, so overall yardage was about 6.5 yards.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  I made a slight FBA alteration by adding length to the top at the bust point, but reducing the length of the straps by a slightly lesser amount (essentially I increased the length of the top by 1/4", but I had to reduce the strap length so the top would fit in the correct spots).  I also left off the top stitching because I felt like the dress would be slightly more versatile without it.  With the print on the fabric, I felt that adding top stitching would force the dress to be casual, but without the topstitching it could be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.  I also added a waist stay because the dress is super heavy, and most of the weight is from the full skirt.  Other than that I pretty much used the pattern as drafted, and it turned out very well.

Would you sew it again?  Would you recommend it to others?  I might sew it again.  Since I made this pattern for my sister, I would have to re-trace and re-alter the pattern (and, actually, probably buy the other pattern sizes to start with) if I wanted to make my own.  I don't know that I want one for me - there are other patterns I would rather make first.  I would, however, consider sewing another one for her, but she has already picked out a few other things she wants, so I don't know how soon I would make this again.  It does look pretty good and she loves the pockets on the skirt, so I would make it again if she asked though.  I would highly recommend this pattern to others - the skirt options and style can flatter many body types and the pattern is simple enough to be easy to put together.

Conclusion:  Love this pattern!  This project was a great example of the right fabric for the right dress.  I loved working with the cotton - it pressed so nicely compared to the polyester nightmare of my previous project.  The pattern is very well drafted, and this style is super cute!  The only tricky spot is attaching the front midriff to the top of the bodice front, but the rest is very easy project with great potential for success.  This is a lovely summer dress and one of my favorite projects to date.