Pattern Review: Vogue 1250

So, although I am knee deep in skating costumes at the moment, I thought I might take a few hours to whip something up for myself, and when I saw the "Best of" contest on Pattern Review, I thought it might be fun to try the super popular Vogue 1250:

Vogue 1250

Errrm, well, I wish I could say I have jumped on the Vogue 1250 bandwagon.  But, nope!  Skater thighs strike again.  As The Slapdash Sewist noted in a comment on a previous post - there is serious risk of tummy issues with this dress!  Actually, the problem isn't so much that the tummy sticks out as that my skater's thighs stick out, which pulls the fabric funny over the tummy and, well, the result is just something that didn't need to be shared with the internet.  So, I went with plan B - cut off the skirt and make a shirt!  It ended up a bit short, but the cowl is so low I need to wear a camisole top under it anyway.

My Vogue 1250 anti-dress.

The back.

Here is my official review:

Pattern Description:  Cowl neck DKNY dress.

Pattern Sizing: (6-8-10-12-14) or (14-16-18-20).  I used a size 12 on the top and 14 on the bottom.

Were the instructions easy to follow?  Yup, super easy!  Three pieces, nine steps - couldn't be simpler!  I didn't really follow the instructions exactly though - I used the serger for the main seams and the twin needle for the hems, but all in all the instructions are quite good.

Did it look like the photo/drawing when you were done with it?  Well, mostly, yes it did.  Looking at the photo, the cowl is quite low, and it was very low on me as well.  And the waist seam on the back also seemed to hit me at the same spot it hits the model.  Unfortunately, my thighs are much larger than the model (skater thighs, what can you do...), and that pulled the dress across my front in a most unflattering way.  So, the results were as advertised, but they just didn't look good on me.

What did you particularly like/dislike about the pattern?  Likes:  easy, fast to sew, good directions. Dislikes:  not a good style/fit for my body, and the facing on the drape is low and seems to flip out a lot more than on other cowl neck patterns I have used.

Fabric used:  ITY/polyester-ish mystery knit from the Michael Levine Loft.  It is possible that the knit might have been a bit thin for this pattern, but I thought it would have a nice drape for the cowl.

Pattern alterations or design changes you made:  I added one inch of length to the top (probably should have only added an extra 1/2").  After making the dress, I decided I didn't like the way it fit, so I cut off the skirt and made it into a top. The skirt yardage will be used in a different project.  The top is a little bit short, and the cowl is a bit low, so I will probably wear it over a camisole top.  It actually might look good with a high-waisted pencil skirt (which I don't own, but I can always make one later).

Would you sew it again?  Would you recommend it to others?  Well, I won't be making this pattern again.  This style just isn't suited to my body shape, and I don't love this pattern enough to try and make it work for me.  And, I already have  cowl neck top pattern that I really like (McCall's 6078), so I probably won't use this again to make more shirts either.  However, I bought this pattern because there were so many positive reviews on Pattern Review, and I did think it was a easy pattern to make.  So, I would recommend it, but I would say that it might not work on all body types, and that if you are very self-conscious it might not be the best pattern to try.

Conclusion:  Basically what I am rating it - ok pattern, but didn't work for me.  This was a case where I had originally passed by this pattern because my brain knew it wouldn't look good on me, but then I got excited by all the lovely versions on Pattern Review.  But, well, shoulda trusted my gut - I just look better in more structured clothes.  So, I will chalk this up to "learning experience" and move on with my sewing.  And, well, at least the skirt is one giant piece of fabric, so I can save it and use it in something else!

Oh, and as a side note, I have decided to NOT enter this in the "Best of" contest on Pattern Review - I am not particularly excited by how this turned out, and I don't really want to enter a contest with something I am not proud of.  But, well, I did get the "must make something for me right now" bug out of my system, so I suppose in that sense it was useful?