photos of finished projects

I'm visiting my brother and his wife at their house in the country, so I have a backyard with actual sunlight to photograph my creations! I'll update this post gradually :-)

Here are the first set of place mats I made (see previous post). There are a total of four place mats, and I've completed three.

Here is the second set of placemats I made - also a set of four:

Me in my new dress (Vogue 8645), fully underlined with lightweight white cotton batiste with a tad of stretch:
Below is the review I wrote for it on Pattern Review.

The inside of the dress is fully underlined (not lined, underlined!):

Neckline and armholes are faced with bias binding:

Here's my pattern review:

Pattern Description: 

Loose fitting dress that is cinched at the waist using a sash. Knee length. V neck in front and back. Shoulders have "fake ties" on them. Hidden pockets at the side seams.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I liked that it is loose fitting and I loved the chic look of the dress. Even though it is loose fitting, it can be flattering due to the sash at the waist.

Fabric Used:

I used a see-through loose-weave cotton and fully underlined it with a lightweight cotton batiste.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Since I underlined the dress, I didn't add any lining. Instead, I faced the neck and armhole edges with bias binding, which I attached to the inside using fell stitches (hand stitching). This was rather time consuming - perhaps even more than lining the dress! Nevertheless, this dress would be too hot with three layers (fashion fabric, underlining, lining).

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, it's a good pattern. Very chic, can't go wrong fitting wise either. Next time, though, I will probably use a fashion fabric that does not require underlining (but I do love the fabric I used here! Such great colors)

Conclusion: 

Good, chic, loose fitting, retro dress, when you want a change from the usual fitted dresses.