Are you ready for fall? Today, I would love to tell you about my new dress; Vogue 1556.
I purchased Vogue1556 for the fall. It has a dress pattern with a belt. At first glance, I thought the belt was sewn to the waist area, but it can be used as a detachable one. The pattern wasn't difficult to make and the instructions were pretty clear. However, it has a lot of parts and many pleats on the skirt. It took around 24 hours to make the dress.
I used soft suede polyester. I combined black faux leather for the armhole and pocket opening, and I think it was perfect for it. I had to make many pleats on the skirt, so I used a carbon paper to transfer the pleat lines. I got tired halfway through, because of the work😾
I cut a size 8-10, and it was a perfect fit. (I made the top too: Renfrew top) The pattern needs a 9 inches invisible zipper, but I added one that was 11 inches long. The reason is that, when I tried to wear it, before I attached the zipper, it wasn't easy to take on and off. I shortened the skirt length by 3 inches and raised the waistline by 1/2 inches.
I made a three-buckle belt using a black genuine leather. I changed the length of each belt in order to fit my waistline. I cut the middle belt shorter than another belts and the bottom belt longer.
In recent years, wide belts like an Obi belt (kimono belt) have been in fashion in Japan. Especially, genuine leather ones are expensive. I think one costs about 8,000-10,000 JPY (100 USD). However, I bought the black leather for its one-tenth. I am really glad that I made it.
Here is a trial, I made the belt before making a black one. I recommend that you use a slippery fabric for the other side. It's easy to tighten up a belt. I used the snake printed faux leather and added polyester satin for the other side.
The picture to the left is the first trail. It didn't fit on my back line. The curve of the belt pattern was too tight for me. If you make it I highly recommend that you make a trial version first! I think it fits on woman who have an hourglass-shaped body. (Unfortunatly, I'm not) I modified the belt pattern, and the second trial (right pic) fits me perfectly. Woo-hoo!
It took less than three hours to make one belt. If the pattern only had a dress pattern I would have rated it 3 stars. However, I really love the belt, so I give it 5 stars! To make the belt you'll need only 20 square inches of leather and notions. I really recommend it. I'm so excited for the belt pattern to be a part of my pattern stash.
Total Time Spent: Dress 24 hours, Belt 3 hours
Fabric: Dress 60" 3yd, Belt 20 square inches and lining.