Tag: Vogue 8847

Sewing Lessons I Learned In 2024

There are many sewing lessons I learned in 2024. They all came from sewing a variety of garments and working with some materials I’ve never used before.

Lesson #1

When I started the year sewing a black turtleneck as part of my “Back To Basics” sewing series on YouTube, I realized that having those basics are really essential.

Wardrobe By Me Trudy turtleneck

Having something that can go with so many other things can be the key to getting dressed quickly and confidently. It can also save you some money.

Lesson #2

I used a laminated fabric in order to make a raincoat. This is a project that had been put off for years. But here are some things I learned from this:

  • Use a nonstick foot on the sewing machine. This will make the process so much easier.
  • A new, nonstick needle can also make things go smoother.
  • Use clips rather than pins. You want to keep the pin holes in the fabric to a minimum.
Woman wearing rain coat

These are just a few of the lessons I learned while working on this project.

Lesson #3

Another sewing lesson I learned in 2024 is that it can be a good idea to sew something trendy.

I made the Seamwork Iggy pants. These are barrel-leg jeans that are trendy and fun to wear. I chose this pattern because it didn’t have a very pronounced bow or barrel shape. That was important because I didn’t want to look bow-legged.

Woman wearing Seamwork Iggy pants

Lesson #4

It’s okay, and probably essential, to sew something FUN! Now, sewing something fun can take on it’s own definition depending on the sewist.

For me, one of my fun projects this past year was this color blocked dress using Simplicity 9886.

Woman wearing Simplicity 9886 dress

This one took some planning and I needed to use my artistic skills to sketch it out before cutting into my fabric.

Another fun project for me was making this yellow dress.

Woman wearing Vogue 8847

This one I did as a Minerva Brand Ambassador. I just love this yellow and the pattern was easy to sew.

Conclusion

I think it’s important to have some fun while you’re being creative. There are ways to challenge yourself and I do this as well. I worked with faux leather for the first time in 2024. Just like the laminated fabric, that was a challenge that had been put off for a while.

For this new year of 2025, I plan to keep on doing the same. I’ll challenge myself to improve and learn and I hope you will do the same.

I Used Two Patterns To Make One Dress

For my latest Minerva project, I used two patterns to make one dress. I took the dress portion from one and added the sleeves from the other.

Pattern envelopes
Vogue 8847 & Butterick 6446

The Fabric

For this project, I was gifted this very nice, lightweight fabric. It’s called John Kaldor soft crepe and it’s 100% polyester. The fabric has a gorgeous drape and is very soft like the name says.

Woman wearing yellow floral dress

This fabric washes and dries really well. I love the vibrant print of it as well. It’s perfect for summer!

The Patterns

I’ve had both of these patterns since around 2012 and 2015. I l For this particular look, I wanted a bell-shaped, flowy sleeve. As the heat and humidity rises when we get into summer, there was no way I was going to make a long-sleeve dress.

The Dress

The Very Easy Vogue pattern is quite easy and quick to sew. While it wasn’t really necessary, I did pay attention to the direction of the fabric when I laid out the pattern. It’s a very loose fitting dress with gathers in the back and front yokes. There are no buttons or zippers, so you can simply pull it over your head.

Woman wearing yellow dress

The dress has inseam pockets too!

woman wearing yellow floral dress with her hands in pockets

Because the dress is very loose, the belt really helps to cinch in the waist. By the way, there were no issues with adding sleeves in from a different patten. The sleeves from the Butterick pattern fit perfectly into the Vogue dress.

Back view of Vogue 8847

Conclusion

While I am a little bit concerned about how comfortable the dress will be when the weather gets hot, I think it will be fine to wear. I am always cold in the summer when I’m indoors and the air conditioning is blasting!

I am so glad I used two patterns to make one dress. The end result is just what I had in mind.

If you’d like te see the video of this project, you can view that here.