Vogue 1242 - My Anniversary Frock

Happy Easter!

Vogue 1242

This Kay Unger dress has been on my list for a while. So this spring I decided to make it for the Pastoral Anniversary dinner.

Pattern Description:
MISSES' DRESS: Close-fitting, lined dress has left side seam invisible zipper and unlined over skirt.


Pattern Sizing: 6-18. I made size 14 with a lot of modifications to the bodice.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, except for the small design change in the upper bodice.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes. Simple. Nothing gave me heartburn. You need to pay close attention to how to cut the pattern pieces. It matters and will impact the construction of the dress.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
My likes -
- drape across the middle section.
- overlay of the skirt.
- applique and bow
My dislikes -
- The many pieces to form the midriff.
- My selection of fabric; I should have chosen a satin with a more body to it. The pleats may have formed better.

Applique and Bow -

Fabric Used: Medium weight satin from JoAnn's.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Oh my God! Where do I begin? They say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." So here is the picture of the FBA. There are six pieces for the bodice front. The upper pieces you can clearly see the FBA. But the lower pieces I didn't think I were need to alter until later. So I had to recut the middle section to correctly line up to the upper bodice vertical seaming. Needless to say, I didn't capture that change, but it was just a matter of making that section a little wider. Because of the  FBA, I ended up gathering along the bottom edge of the upper bodice help match up with the seams of the lower bodice.
Sway back adjustment - standard and pretty easy to do.
Length the skirt about three inches.
Rise the underarm seam about 1/2 for better coverage.
I lined the over skirt. update

The rest of the fitting adjustments were made as I sew the dress together. And believe me, I must have tried it on about twenty times during the process of getting a decent fit in the bodice.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? No. I only need/want one. But I do recommend it to others.

I made a little shrug to get me warm. This dress is cut low exposing chest, back and arms.


Conclusion: I like the style of this dress. It's hard difficult to sew, but can be a challenge to incorporate fitting adjustments and keeping the integrity of the seams.