Before this year, I’d never even sewn a single Big 4 pattern.

Now look at me.

I’m all about the Vogue patterns at the moment!

So I’ve become the last sewing blogger in the world to get around to sewing Vogue 9253.

There are so many gorgeous examples of this pattern out there, but it was the black linen version which Sophie (@adaspragg) shared on instagram during Me Made May 2018 which made me pull out my wallet and actually buy this pattern.

Sophie’s version also inspired me to stick to a solid colour. There are so many lovely printed versions out there, but I feel that Vogue 9253 in a solid makes for a real classic statement.

I can see myself reaching for my Vogue 9253 dress for years to come.

Destiny and the Sweet Mercerie

This lovely fluid soft drape-alicious fabric is a tencel twill in a blue denim colourway from The Sweet Mercerie. It was my first ever purchase from them.

I feel that it was sewing destiny because when they sent it to me, it came with this card:

It’s as though it was especially for me!

(Side note: for an idiotic moment I actually thought it was especially for me. That they somehow printed out cards using the Instagram handles of their customers. Before I realised that I had used my private email to make the purchase and hadn’t had any Instagram or blog-related contact with them, so they couldn’t have known that I was @isewthereforeiam.

At which point I figuratively kicked myself for being a self-centred moron. And then happily pinned this lovely postcard into pride of place on my sewing corner pin board.)

This fabric is an utter delight to wear. It feels so refreshing against my body. I’d go as far to say that I prefer the feel of this fabric to that of silk. It feels more substantial, less slippery, but still just so rich and fluid. It has wonderful drape. It does crease, which is inevitable. But not as much as other tencel fabrics I have used.

Vogue 9253: the specs

This is version A of Vogue 9253, made up in size medium.

I made a few minor modifications to my version of Vogue 9253. Taking a leaf from the Lois dress book, I bias bound the entire neckline using self-bias binding. I feel that this gives a much neater look than just using a narrow hem on the V-part of the neckline. Speaking of self bias-binding, the lovely Lauren from Guthrie and Ghani has a definitive video guide on making your own bias binding which is great!

I also bias bound the two back neckline pieces separately and then attached them, because I didn’t understand the method the instructions were trying to get me to follow.

Going deep

Then came the all-important questions: what to do about that deep V neckline?

I must confess that I actually love the look of the super-deep plunging neckline.

As long as I stand still in a certain position.

But this is life, people.

I cycle.

I carry things.

I bend down.

And that neckline, while lovely, is totally unwearable.

On this topic, since the original dramatic neckline is so – ummm- impractical, does anyone feel that the designer is somewhat morally obliged to also offer a slightly more wearable neckline alternative? Or at least some suggestions for modifying it?

Where designers fail, the sewing community shall prevail!

It feels as though the real story of this pattern is the story of the creative methods sewists have adopted to make the neckline more wearable.

It seems that popular choices include overlapping the two front pieces to create a higher neckline. I thought about this, but it resulted in losing the alignment of the pleats at the bodice and skirt.

Simply hand sewing the neckline up a few inches also seems a popular choice.

The hand-sewing had been my preference until, after I had cut out this dress, I saw this version by Made by Toya. She added roleau button loop and buttons!

Genius!!

So I outright copied! Copying is the sincerest form of flattery. If it weren’t for copying, fashion wouldn’t even exist, right?

 

I used the technique set out in this tutorial from Tilly and the Buttons to make my roleau button loops. Because if you don’t know how to do any sewing-related thing, there’s a good chance Tilly will be able to teach you!

My buttons still gape a little, so I may still have to do some hand-sewing after all, but I am really satisfied with this solution to the Vogue 9253 “my belly button is not an appropriate end point of a neckline” problem.

When I first finished my Vogue 9253, I found that the pattern at its original length didn’t suit this fabric. In  a solid colour, with such fluidity, together with the waist ties and kimono sleeves, it totally looked like I was wearing a bath robe.

And not in a good way.

But after taking 15cm off the original length, I am happy as Larry with my Vogue 9253.

 

Pocket problems

The only other thing worth mentioning is the pockets.

Like any decent dress, Vogue 9253 has pockets.

They are the kind of in seam pocket which are also secured to the waist seam. I have sewn pockets like this before in my Laneway Dress.  On that dress, I had to remove them because they were so unflattering on me. The Vogue 9253 pockets, however,  look just fine. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that this is a lovely fluid fabric, rather than the cotton of my Laneway. So I’ve at least realised that this style of pocket attachment isn’t necessarily a total disaster for me, depending on the fabric.

But, I do find the shape of the pockets in Vogue 9253 bizarre. They are very long and narrow and they have a huge opening. But it feels that the ‘closed’ pocket part of the pocket is very small. I worry that anything I put in there could fall out very easily.

It’s definitely more of a “pockets for hands”, rather than “pockets for things” dress. So on any future versions, I will definitely alter the pocket shape.

The Vogue 9253 Club

So, I’ve now officially joined the Vogue 9253 club. I can definitely understand the cult following of this dress. I just feel pretty. But still grown-up. And a little bit sophisticated.

And I am really enjoying the potential of letting more Big 4 patterns into my sewing repetoire.

What I don’t love, however, is the names. Or numbers, as the case may be.

I really like the fact that with indie sewing patterns, I never forget a pattern. I can call any garment I’ve made by her ‘name’. But these bloody numbers. In the course of typing this blog post, I think I’ve written 9253, 9523, 9325. It’s just confusing.

And if someone ever asks me in the future what pattern it is, I’m never going to remember the number!! Oh well, I guess “it’s that Vogue one with the crazily deep neckline” will probably be a sufficient description to enable future identification!

What about you? How did your Vogue 9253 turn out?

I really feel that I’m the only sewist out there who somehow didn’t notice this lovely pattern until now!!

Oh and, finally, a little P.S! If you like to get your blog hits through Bloglovin’, feel free to follow me over there: you can find me here. And you can find me on Instagram here.