A cautionary tale - becoming a VoPIF with vintage Vogue 5434

What's a VoPIF, I hear you ask. A Victim of Pattern Illustration Fraud - when the allure of the envelope image does not match the reality.  Eventually every stitcher will become a VoPIF, the most experienced amongst us will have fallen victim more than once. Vintage Vogue 5434 from the 1960's has victimized me yet again.

The tale starts with a wedding invitation. Guests are requested to dress colourfully - "as bright as a garden of summer flowers". Into the stash I headed, where a piece of dupion silk in a stunning red has been languishing for far too long. (Showed a swatch to the bride as wearing red to a wedding can be considered inappropriate, but she's thrilled. Colour is actually several shades darker than it appears in these photos.)  I also pulled out a piece of burgundy frangipani print cotton to make a wearable toilé and Vogue 5434 from my pattern collection.

After a few adjustments to the sizing, I whizzed together the frangipani toilé dress - love the skirt, but the bodice just doesn't cut the mustard. The neckline is too high, and the pleats which looked so stylish on the envelope are in reality very "roomy". (I kept patting them into place during fitting.) Another toilé bodice was cut with a lower neckline and less fullness in the pleats, but wasn't much better. After toying with the idea of cutting yet another toilé bodice, I decided to abandon it completely for the moment because I'm running out of time, and instead replace it altogether with a trusted bodice from an old favourite pattern - Style 1751 from 1990. 
Boldly cutting straight into the silk I made one change - a simplified neckline - best leave sweethearts to the bride and bridesmaids!

Very happy with the results, and because using this bodice pattern was much more economical ,there's enough silk left over to make a shrug jacket as well. As for the frangipani dress, I can't decided whether to leave the bodice as is, or change it as well. Your thoughts?

So, in conclusion everyone lived happily ever after.

The end.

Oh, and the accessories. Jewellery still to be decided.

Please feel free to share your own VoPIF stories in the comments below. I for one would appreciate warnings about patterns that don't live up to expectations!

New Look 6071 and the floral sundress

Buying fabric is exciting. The little thrill of creativity that strikes when you see it. Touching it. Getting inspired to make that something you can’t live one more moment without. 

Often I buy fabric with only a vague idea of what I’ll make from it. When I get home I race to hunt out the perfect pattern, hoping there’s enough.
The first time I made NL 6071 two years ago I used an old Indonesian batik sarong. It quickly became my favourite summer frock, so comfortable and easy to wear, with just enough va-voom at the décolletage for me. Now it’s getting very thin its been worn so much. Time to make a new one.

Two and two came together when I saw this floral cotton in The Fabric Store (previously Global Fabrics).

Both times I’ve made NL 6071 I’ve completely ignored the pattern is designed for stretch fabrics, because by carefully measuring pattern pieces, cutting a couple of sizes larger than “my size” and adding a zip, it can be made out of non-stretch fabric. I also lengthen the skirt by 10cm to a more “lady-like” length, and this time added short sleeves.

Did I mention it’s easy to make? Seriously, the bust wrap twisty thing is no where near as hard as it looks.

I love it so much, I’m even posting a ‘selfie’ wearing it to work yesterday, taken during my lunch break on the Petone wharf in a föhn wind (just caught the tripod before it blew over).

necklace and earrings = Trade Aid, sunglasses = ZenniOptical, 

watch = Skargen, purple suede pumps = Coopers Shoes

These boots are made for walkin’

SunnyJim found some cheap flights and we’re off to Melbourne for the weekend! 

What a treat. Melbourne is my second most favourite city in the world (after Wellington, of course!) but I haven’t visited in about 7 years, thanks to the mortgage. Looking forward to checking out the old haunts and discovering some new ones.

AND will still be there on Monday for the start of the Buttonmania sale!

So packing the sensible shoes for all the walking I’m planning on doing - sorry beautiful red suede Minx boots, you’ll be staying in the closet.