Vogue 8379

This is a Minerva Exclusive print that I made as a Minerva Brand Ambassador.

On the Minerva website this print looks so rich. It’s just as rich in colour in real life. When it arrived at my home last week I pondered how to use it. While it’s Winter here, our Winters don’t last too long and they are not severe ie, no snow in Sydney.

Vogue 8379 is a favourite knit dress that is now out of print. When I get a fabulous knit fabric like this one, I have such fun with print placement. You know what I mean.

So for the purposes of this dress, the large flowers are at the shoulders and on the sleeves.

As is usual, I didn’t order enough for this pattern so I’ve modified the skirt so it is no longer a wrap skirt.

Internally I always used clear elastic on the shoulder seams so they don’t sag over time. I know this print is very colour fast and is really stunning so I’ll be wearing this very often once it’s finished.

The other aspect is using the right interfacing on the facings. I have a bunch of interfacing fabric in my stash but it’s always tricky choosing the right one for the garment.

In this case I’ve used a black interfacing. Why? This print is on a white fabric but the print is dark. Therefore I chose a black interfacing so it doesn’t dilute the print colours.

Now that I’ve sewn up this fabric into and easy to wear pattern, this dress will be one that I take on holidays in a few months time.

I keep and reuse some classic dress patterns for either knit fabrics or for woven fabrics. Vogue 8379 is designed for knit fabrics and is a classic wrap dress pattern.

Sometimes I have to skip the ‘wrap’ skirt because I didn’t buy enough fabric. Well…I didn’t order enough fabric so I made a skirt that has waist gathers sewn onto the wrap top of this dress.

Recently I was listening to Louise of Demure Designs discuss pattern matching. When using this fabric I did some very strategic planning so the gorgeous big florals didn’t fall on parts of my body that would make me feel uncomfortable. In this case I actually placed the big purple floral on the sleeve.

The painted florals are impressive. They are really vibrant and this dress will look great for tropical holidays or days when I’m working in the office and need an emotional lift of my spirits.

If you’re new to sewing, this knit does not need the seams to be finished. This knit is really lovely to feel and easy to sew with a sewing needle suited for jersey fabrics.

The neckline sits well once you add interfacing to the neckline facings. Don’t overlook the benefit of using facings for knit fabrics.

I use clear elastic on the shoulder seams so they remain firm and don’t sag over time. I sewed clear elastic on the waistline to cinch in the waist. Otherwise the dress looks really dull and home made so adding these small sewing notions will lift the look of your garment.