Making A Wrap Dress With Vogue 8379

When I saw this leopard print knit fabric from Mood Fabrics, I knew that making a wrap dress with Vogue 8379 would be the perfect combination. This pattern has been around since 2007, but it hadn’t been on my radar before. It’s a Very Easy Vogue pattern that really is easy.

*Some links in this post may be affiliate links. I will earn a small commission with no additional cost to you if you shop through these links. Thanks for your support!

The Fabric

For this dress, I purchased a camel and leopard print cotton rayon jersey from Mood Fabrics. It’s lightweight without being too thin or see-through. Unfortunately, this particular fabric is not available on the website, although there are other very similar options.

woman wearing leopard print wrap dress — Vogue 8379 View B

Although some reviews of the fabric said it was too thin, that’s not the case for me. As I stated, it’s not see through but its not a heavy fabric. So that means I can wear this in the colder months with a blazer or coat and not overheat.

The Pattern

Unfortunately, this pattern is not available on the Simplicity website, but it can be purchased online. In fact, this was a popular pattern when it came out, so many of you might have this already. Here is one from the Amazon website.

It’s described as a wrap front dress with soft pleats, side tie and sleeve variations. View B has a collar.

The pattern is designed for knit fabrics so it’s very comfortable to wear. I wouldn’t recommend a knit that’s too heavy. You would want something with that has a nice drape to it so the skirt will move when you move. It’s easier cutting this out when you have a wider piece of fabric as well. The skirt really does require a wide fabric and enough to cut in a single layer.

The Dress

front view of woman wearing leopard print wrap dress

I feel like this is my first “true” wrap dress, although I did make Butterick 5030 a few year ago. But after making this one, I now understand why women have loved this style for so long.

The only thing I may add to this particular dress is a snap where the dress crosses over at the top. In the pictures I have a small safety pin to ensure the dress stays closed.

side view of making a dress with Vogue 8379

If someone wanted to add pockets to their dress, I believe that would be easily done at the side seams.

As you can see, I styled mine two different ways: one with pumps and the other with boots. Personally, I really like how it looks with the boots. Add a blazer or jacket and you could have the perfect outfit for the Fall season!

*Here is my Amazon affiliate store with more sewing and crafting supplies. https://www.amazon.com/shop/sewlimitless

Making The Hot Patterns Breton T

It’s time for some spring sewing! I wanted to focus on making the Hot Patterns Breton T (officially the Mr & Mrs Weekender Breton T) because it’s such a classic spring top. And when I made this, it was cold and there was still snow on the ground.

The Fabric

Breton Tees are known for their stripes. They are most often (at least traditionally) blue and white stripes or black and white stripes. So when I bought this fabric locally at G Street Fabrics, I knew it would be perfect for some kind of t-shirt. I used a blue and white striped knit that I had in my fabric stash.

This is a medium weight knit that washes and dries great. It’s not a see through fabric and it’s very comfortable in cool and warm weather.

The Pattern

This is considered a “Beginner” sewing pattern. It is easy to put together. I usually make mine with a long sleeve, although the pattern is more of a 3/4 (or longer) sleeve. I’ve also made many variations before. While mine may look like a boatneck shirt, the pattern is described as a cross between a boatneck and round neck.

woman wearing blue & white striped Breton T

Back view of woman wearing Hot Patterns Breton T

The only issue with constructing this top involves assembling the neckline. While it seems like it would be very simple, the instructions aren’t very clear and require a lot of thought. I was able to find a good write-up on the Pattern Review website that explains things really well. But, when done correctly, you end up with a clean finish on the inside of the neckband (all raw edges are enclosed).

The only alteration made to the pattern was to lengthen the sleeves. I think that I’ll make another slleve pattern piece that just for the longer length like I prefer, especially if it’s still a little cool outside.

Conclusion

Making the Hot Patterns Breton T is one of my favorite patterns. It’s great when I need to get my sew-jo back. There are so many ways this can be styled particularly when made in a solid. Sewing our own wardrobe pieces can really give us the unique style and fit that we all want for ourselves. And best of all, it doesn’t always have to be a time consuming process.

Here’s the YouTube video I made on making the top:

Simplicity 9886 Color-Blocked Dress

I decided to make this Simplicity 9886 color-blocked dress using some fabrics I had in my fabric stash. It wasn’t hard to find three fabrics to go together. It was more difficult to actually choose which ones of many to use 😂.

The Fabric

The pattern calls for the use of three woven fabrics. All of the ones I used are light to medium weight cotton blends. The blue that is the main fabric is a linen-like blend that I had bought at JoAnn Fabrics some years ago. The floral is from Hobby Lobby, purchased a few years ago. The yellow is a basic quilting cotton in a solid color. It’s a thin fabric which is one of the reasons it’s the smallest section.

The Pattern

In order to make things easier on myself, I chose to sketch out the design first. This was so important because I didn’t have to constantly think about how the pieces were going together. Mind you, I am not an artist so sketching is not my thing – LOL. But, it is so helpful to have this to refer to during the sewing process.

Sketch of the line drawing for the dress

This is a sketch of the line drawing for both front and back. Colored pencils make the sketch come to life and help in the visualization process. I’m not sure if you can tell from the sketch, but there are inseam pockets in the dress.

My Dress

woman wearing Simplicity 9886 color-blocked dress

Simplicity 9886 is not a difficult pattern to make. I think that all the preparations I did ahead of time helped a lot! The dress is View C, with the length of View A. The midi length is one of my favorites.

Because there is lots of stay stitching (which I recommend you do), you may find that you’ll use a lot of thread. But those stitches are important since they help to keep the pattern pieces from stretching out of shape.

It’s important to give yourself as little room for confusion as possible when making a color blocked garment. That’s especially important if you don’t do many projects like this. I used a very similar process when I made this color-blocked top.

Conclusion

Overall, I can recommend Simplicity 9886 color-blocked dress. It can be made for bold and bright colors, or you can choose something more subtle. I believe that with a bit of preplanning, you can have a successful garment completed in a short amount of time. The dress is comfortable to wear and I think it’s a good addition to my spring/summer wardrobe.