What was I thinking? | Pattern Review: Vogue 8789

Ever ask yourself this question after you've taken on a task? Last Sunday my husband and I decided we would attend a banquet that upcoming Saturday. And of course of course of course I wanted to make something to wear. It had to be a fairly simple pattern because I didn't have very many sewing days. The event I previously posted about was on Friday of the same week. I finished the tutu on Tuesday, cut out the pattern on Wednesday and got started. I worked on the dress in the evenings after work so that really only gave me Wednesday & Thursday. Friday evening was the Trunk or Treat event at church. Saturday morning I had a meeting and then the banquet was that evening.

Saturday afternoon as I was hemming the dress while sitting under the hair dryer I asked myself repeatedly "What was I thinking?"

I did manage to finish the dress but it needs some tweaking before I'll wear it again. I wanted to make a petticoat to wear underneath but I just didn't have enough time. Here is a pic of the dress as worn and a review for my fellow sewers.

Pattern: Vogue 8789

Pattern Description: MISSES'/MISSES' PETITE DRESS AND CUMMERBUND: Pullover dress has fitted bodice, skirt front/back cut-in-one, no right side seam, and left side zipper. A: bias bodice. B: button/loop shoulder closing, dress cut on crosswise grain of fabric. Bias, self-lined cummerbund has hook/eye closure.

Pattern Sizing:
I meant to cut size 14 but cut the 12 and had to let out the side seams and darts a bit.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes - other than the fact that I didn't use a border print.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes. The instructions were pretty straight-forward although I did change my cutting layout just a bit.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the simplicity of this dress and particularly liked the boat neckline of View B. The buttons at the shoulders were also a nice touch.

Fabric Used:
I used a poly-satin from my stash.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I absolutely detest pulling a dress overhead. My routine is to do my hair & makeup and then getting dressed as the last step. I have ruined several clothing items with makeup & body oils by pulling on dresses overhead. Not to mention messing up my hair.

For this reason, I omitted the side zipper and moved the zipper to the back. In doing so, I cut the bodice back in two pieces rather than on the fold. This is the reason why I intended to go up a size but in my haste I cut the wrong size. I was able to find enough room by letting out the side seams and darts just a bit.

For the skirt, I used the cutting layout for View A since I wasn't using a border print and cut the skirt front on the fold. I don't like seams up my front if I can avoid it at all.

I self lined the bodice rather than using the facings.

I wore a belt I'd made for a different dress. I do have a scrap of fabric left and plan to cut & make the cummerbund.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I probably will not sew this pattern again but I would recommend it to others.

Conclusion:
This was a quick project with only a few sewing days before I needed to wear it. I didn't have time to add the waist stay or a petticoat to wear underneath. I will fix those issues before wearing this dress again. Overall I am pleased with the results for the limited time I had and I receive many compliments when I wore it. 


This was also a good stash-buster. I used approx. 4 1/2 yards of fabric from my stash.