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[professorpski]

Blue Watercolor: Vogue 8013

This is the second time I have made this pattern and I like it better each time. It has the popular fit and flare silhouette of the 1950s, the slightly higher hemline of the late 1950s, and an easy in sewing and wearing despite its many details. For example, it has raglan sleeves, which are much easier to sew than set-in sleeves, yet it has turned back cuffs which add a sportier air. The cuffs also shift attention upward & broaden the mass of the upper half of the dress which helps to balance the dress from top to bottom.  

I did alter some elements: adding a side snap placket and ending the buttons at the waistline for design reasons, interfacing the front bodice facing for constructions reasons, and removing the pockets in the side seams for wearing reasons. Because the print is the highlight of the dress, I chose dark blue buttons which blur into the print as they are the same color and size of some of the blue spots of color.

Because this linen/cotton/spandex blend has a naturally crinkled texture, working with it posed some problems. Every time I pressed a seam, I flatted out the texture which, with time and humidity, would then reappear. So I needed to take care not to temporarily stretch a piece of fabric that would eventually snap back into a smaller shape; I opted not to interface the collar as I had wrinkle problems no matter what kind of interfacing I tried. Crinkled gauzes in cotton and rayon pose even greater problems. You need to take care when you cut and sew to work with the crinkles and not temporarily distort the fabric. This is why many crinkled cottons garment are made in simple shapes.

I got this fabric in person at Field’s Fabrics in Holland, MI, a local chain in the western Michigan area which has some online offerings here: https://fieldsfabrics.com/