Very Easy Vogue Dress 8871

Pattern Description:
This is a super easy Misses' dress in two lengths.  Close-fitting, flared, pullover dress has seam detail and narrow hems, with or without sleeves, knee-length or mid-calf.  The back of the envelope says that view B is cut on the cross-grain, but that is only for the side insets.  I made view B. 

Pattern Sizing:
There are two size combinations: B5 or 8 to 16 or F5 which is 16 to 22.  I started with a 16 and graded to somewhere between a 12 and 14. 
According to my bust measurement, I should be closer to an 18, but I didn't need to do any adjustments for this dress.  Yahoo! 

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, my dress looks quite a bit like view B.  I really like the fabric used in the picture.  If I can find some that looks like that, I will make this again!






Were the instructions easy to follow?
Super easy instructions.  The visuals are more than adequate so I just glanced at them and put them away.  A few steps were missing that I think are necessary, so of course I added a few things. 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love how EASY, FAST, CUTE, COMFORTABLE this dress is.  It also fits well, did I mention that?  This really is an instant gratification project.  From cutting out to final clipping of the threads, it was about 3 hours.  This could be done faster, but my fabric rolled a little at the cut edge so I spent some time pinning.  Take that step out of the equation and this dress could be even faster, plus I am not at fast sewer, I prefer to take my time. 
No zipper!  When is the last time you saw a knit dress with no zipper?  Just make sure your fabric has enough stretch so it fits comfortably over your head. 
Dislikes: No elastic or support at the shoulder seam, especially for such a long dress.  I remedied that by adding 1/4" clear elastic to the seam. 
I didn't like how the narrow hem looked at the neckline, so I added a very narrow strip to the edge, turned it to the wrong side, and topstitched around.  The band isn't even 1/4" wide, which is what I wanted, so it isn't really noticeable. 
Art Attack's review mentioned that there are only two points (well really notches) to match up the side insets to the front/back.  I just used a lot of pins and basted before I serged the seam.  You really want a nice curved seam here that matches up front and back. 

Fabric Used:
I used a rayon, poly, Lycra knit from Gorgeous Fabrics.  I've had this for a while, and had to wait for the perfect pattern to use it.  I think this was it!  I also didn't have quite enough given how flared the skirt is, so I had to cut the back piece in two separate pieces and serge them together.  Since my print is so busy, it isn't noticeable. 
This fabric is so light, pretty, and colorful, but isn't quite as opaque as I'd like.  Note to self, make sure to have the proper undergarments on prior to leaving the house.  :) 

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
My usual 1/2" swayback adjustment which was so easy to do with this pattern given the shaping. 
Other than the neckline and adding elastic to the shoulder seams, I only had to bring in the side inset seams about a 1/4" to get it to fit properly.  Yahoo! 
I used quite a bit of steam-a-seam on the hem and armhole edges.  It worked like magic!
Normally I raise necklines, this time I lowered it by 2 inches.  Can you believe it? 
I do think next time I will experiment with the size of the armholes.  I think it slightly gaps just a bit too much for my liking. 
I also think I may narrow the shoulders about an inch on each side as it is kind of wide.  Maybe I am being to picky? 

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Oh yes, I would love to sew this again...with sleeves, maybe even long sleeves, shorter skirt, etc.  I do recommend this to others, especially beginners.  You can get a great result with minimal effort. 

Conclusion:
I love this pattern!  I can see this becoming a Favorite Pattern on Sewing Pattern Reviews for the year!  Try it!