Once a year, I like to book myself a little retreat in the middle of nowhere in order to rest, relax and recharge. Normally I would bring down books, all my meals and of course my sewing machine and projects leaving me to enjoy utter bliss for ust a few days. These mini retreats are important to me as it’s schedules and blocked out time off to spend doing whatever I want and a chance to explore some beautiful parts of my own state. A little while ago, shared some sewing projects I made on a similar trip resulting in some super cute outfits so thats exactly what we are doing again today. As I’m on a self-imposed fabric buying ban, I decided to shop my stash and save something thats been hanging out for way too long.
This year for my sewing retreat, I went to the stunning Sou’West town of Denmark because that part of the world is just so pretty. After packing my car to the brim with everything that I might need for a long weekend stay, I turned my attention to sewing projects. Originally I wanted to sew up some cushions, some cosmetic pouches and hopefully a few garments. The cushions came together pretty easily but that’s about where the fun stopped. Realising I had forgotten my pouch pattern, I abandoned that idea and turned to my garments. Having brought a few vintage patterns with me, I used some old muslin fabric to test out a few patterns for fit and everything I made either didn’t fit or I just didn’t like how it came out. This meant that all the original garment sewing plans I made went out the window and I didn’t want to use the fabric for something else, so I turned my attention to my ’emergency grab’ bag. This bag was a last-minute ditch attempt of grabbing a few patterns I love and some chunks of material so I can at least make something. That’s where we came up with today’s sewn garment.
At what point will I stop using Vogue 9100 and sharing it on this blog? Probably not anytime in the near future and I really want to keep sewing it because it’s just perfect in my opinion. So yes, we are using Very Easy Vogue 9100 for the eighth time. Looking at the fabric I had with me, I really didn’t have much choice which is how I decided to use some cute cat printed cotton fabric for my cozy sewing. In case it’s been a while, I will note that I will be sewing the size 12 with a c cup bust. Although my measurements closer resemble the size 14, I find the 12 to be the perfect fit without huge alterations.
Originally, this fabric was purchased from Modes4u, which closed down several years ago (about 3/4 months after fabric.com went as well, dark times, very dark times). This fabric was part of my last order with them before they closed, but after a quick peek online, it seems modes4u are back and selling heaps of cute fabric once again. I was very lucky to pick up around 4 yards of this fabric, and it also came in a variety of background colours, such as pink and black. Although the fabric is no longer sold, I did find this piece online in the pink version. With the fabric print being so bold, I loved the black patches where the cats are and all the tangled ribbon details everywhere else. The little gold threads also add visual interest, and I think this fabric would make a great dress that can be styled in a wide range of ways.
Unfortunately, I can’t find my fabric anywhere online but I did find something similar here which also happens to be from Modes4u (perhaps it was the same brand).
To begin, I laid out my fabric and started to look at pattern placement. The cat motifs on the fabric are quite large so I had to be mindful of where they would be appear on the dress. As I didn’t want an awkward cat head on my bosom or a tail coming out of my crotch, each piece was painstakingly cut out until I was happy with how the pattern laid out. I didn’t feel the need for a cat to be present in a prominent position on every piece but I did pay close attention to the front bodice piece to make sure I had the perfect pattern placement. Some pieces I left intentionally cat free as I wanted the pattern to have room to breathe and not be too crowded. Having four yards of this fabric meant that I could calmly calculate and place my pattern pieces where I think they looked best. As for the lining, I brought down an old fitted sheet which I’ve been slowly carving up for lining for other projects. For this dress, the skirt was going to be a massive circle skirt because with so much fabric, I might as well enjoy it. Oh and of course I added pockets.
Having made this dress numerous times before, she came together really easily. These sewing retreats are great for projects that you can just relax to, enjoy some tea and put of catch up tv or audiobooks in the background. During the constructin of this dress I listened to some audiobooks I’d picked up from the library and it was a wonderful way to relax.
As I’m sewing in a space thats not my own, it can be a little disorientating when you don’t know where things have gone (too many bags) and the table I was using was quite small. This prompted me to move outside which is something I do in the summer at home. Being that my accomodation was in the middle of the forest, I had all manner of forest friends come to visit including this very friendly fair wren female who really wanted to check out my overlocker.
Once my bodice was complete, she was fully lined before I laid her against my skirt to make sure all the patterns worked well together. There were a few bodice panels I decided to swap out as they just looked too bulky or the pattern just looked awkward. Having so much extra material, I was happy to be able to do this. My pockets were easy to cut out as there was heaps of space amongst the fabric yielding me two large dress pockets. Whilst sewing, I let me circle skirt hand so the bias would drop but I didn’t really give it the full 24 hours. She got a full day (cut out in the morning, not touched till evening), so I left hemming her once I got home to let the skirt fully drop.
My dress came together within a few hours; with dinner already made, the fire roaring and the new season of Wednesday planned for nighttime viewing, it really was a delightful way to slow down, get crafty and relax. The dress was finished in an afternoon/evening which also yielded a sunset beach walk and a stroll through the forest making it a really delighful day. As it was too cold to wear her on my sewing retreat, these photos were taken a few weeks later. She was a delight to wear and I’m so glad I made her have extra large pockets.
To debut my new version of Vogue 9100, I wore my dress to the Perth Royal Show and it was a fantastic choice for the day. The Royal Show can be a lot of fun but so much walking so I had to be super comfy. It was a little cool the day we went and I was pleasantly surprised how simple this dress is to style for colder weather I think my little black top looked really cute under the dress but I wish I had a nicer belt. We didn’t take my normal camera as it was just a bit too heavy for me to carry all day so these photos were taken on my partners phone so please excuse the fact their a touch grainy. They captured golden hour pretty well though.
All the Vogue 9100 dresses I make end up being my most worn dresses. Especially in the warmer months, I have been wearing them nonstop and having so many patterns to choose from makes me feel like i’m always wearing something new. There will be more versionas of this dress made on the blog and I’m sure I will share them, but I do want to encourage people to feel free to love the patterns they love and make the perfect dress as many times as they want. This would also be the pattern I make for others as I just find the fit so flattering. So number 9 (I think) Very Easy Vogue is complete and very much loved already.
Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.
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