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Little Black Dress Sewing Pattern

I stitched up a little black dress for myself using the Vogue 1317 Dress Sewing Pattern. Keep reading to find out which fabric I used to sew my dress along with a few tips and tricks for sewing custom apparel.

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Project Sewn kicks off today with the Little Black Dress challenge! When I found out that our first challenge was a Little Black Dress my first instinct was to make something fancy. Then I changed my mind.

Dress Details

What I want in a LBD is something that I can throw on quickly but would still help me look pulled together. I also LOVE to accessorize so I wanted to start with a pretty neutral palate. I imagined this dress as the perfect thing to wear to church on days that I’m running late (as I am every Sunday).

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The pattern is Vogue 1317 and the dress is made from 100% wool gabardine.  The fabric is dreamy and has a very nice drape to it. When I saw this pattern,  I was first drawn to the bow on the front of this dress. I think it gives a nice flattering shape to the dress.

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I will say, this pattern was not easy to sew. All of the seams are top stitched and there are a lot of Y seams.  I spent a lot of time unpicking. The only change I made to the pattern was to add 3” to the skirt length and taper the shoulder seam in a bit (the original pattern had a more squared-off shoulder).

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I also removed the pockets from the front of the dress. They were meant to be in the center front of the dress (like a sweatshirt) and seriously who wants extra bulk in their lower abdomen region? NOT me!  So I just stitched them closed and removed the pocket pieces.

If you decide to make this dress I would recommend saving all of the topstitching of the seams until the end. I had to tailor several points in the dress to my measurements and having the seams top-stitched meant that I had to go back and undo two layers of stitching. Make sure the dress fits correctly then go and add the topstitching details.

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My husband helped with the photo shoot and let’s just say he’s a guy that has a hard time taking things seriously… and I’m not one for having my photo taken, so by the end of the session, this is about how I felt.

If you like my look I’d love for you to vote for me! Wander on over to Project Sewn and see all of the other amazing dresses that the other girls made and cast a vote for your favorite! Let’s see if I make it through to next week for the Era’s challenge.

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7 Comments

  1. Oh oh oh I just LOVE your dress! I want to go out and buy the pattern stat!

    Your construction is immaculate and you have styled it so perfectly. Absolutely gorgeous 🙂

  2. What a great job you did on your LBD and you look GORGEOUS in it! As a long time sewer, I can tell that was not an easy dress to attempt, but at least it turned out so well in the end. It would even look great with a pair of brown boots for church or a casual night out. I love following your blog, you are always up to something good. Good luck with your votes on Project sewn.

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