Vogue 8630 for the Rehearsal Dinner

Finally, as promised, photos of the dress in the cheap, polyester, Joann's fabric. I actually kind of love this dress in spite of the fabric though. On the plus side, it cost me about $30 to make including lining, zipper, thread and pattern (which I got on sale), it's 100% machine washable AND dryable, and wrinkle free. I'm wearing it to Laura and Thomas' rehearsal dinner. Negatives are that it's, well, 100% polyester and will be totally non-breathable, and the weave is fairly loose and might be subject to some wear. The good thing about the non-breathable is that when the air conditioning is too cold, I'll stay warm, because that collar will make it hard to wear a sweater. Always a silver lining!

 The embarrassing thing about this picture is that my new fake tan pretty much matches the bricks of my house. Not really the look I was going for, but oh well. I love the wide belt (Nine West) with it, and I love my shoes (on the clearance rack at Ann Taylor), but seeing them in pictures makes me notice that my legs do look shorter with that strap. Here's an alternate look:

I had to go inside because it started raining. Now it looks like I might have just gotten back from the Bahamas. Better. I'm not loving the skinny belt as much because I do have a bit of a boxy shape. The wider belt helps with that. These shoes look better I think. Best combination: wide belt, regular pumps. Agree or disagree?

Observations about the pattern:

• very easy, very Vogue as advertised!
• Fits well. I made some adjustments to the pattern. Cut out a 14, tapered to a 16 at the waist and a 16 for the skirt. Eliminated the back darts. Ended up needing about a 1" seam allowance after my pinfitting. I think next time I'll cut out a straight 14 all the way. I did a sway back adjustment to the bodice, and I think I could do just a smidge more. I didn't change the pattern length at all (amazing!).
• It's a great basic sheath pattern. Next time I plan to leave off the collar and do a neckline treatment I saw on a dress at Talbots. The neckline is a teeny bit wide which you can't tell with the collar, so I'll have to fix that.
• I used an invisible zipper, so the construction order was altered to allow for that.
• The instructions for understitching the lining at the collar are a bit confusing (or would be for a beginner). I'm not sure if this picture helps any, but it might: 

You just have to separate the dress and lining (dress to the left, lining to the right), slide the lining over the arm of your machine, and have the neckline seam right there in the center. I stuck my hand in through the armholes and zipper opening to push and keep the seam allowance under the lining, where it's caught by the stitching.

Happy May Day!