OUT OF THE WOODS: VOGUE 8896

Wrap dresses have been considered a sartorial staple for decades now — and for good reason! Wrap dresses work in the office, for special occasions, for lunch dates… the possibilities are fairly endless with a wrap dress, especially when you make them from knit fabrics. I am still getting used to sewing with jersey, so I took my time deciding on the pattern. I decided on Vogue 8896, which was one of their Very Easy Patterns and it was specifically designed for moderate stretch knits — sadly it is now out of print, but Vogue 8379 is very similar.

I made View A, which includes sweet short sleeves and a knee length skirt; I will definitely make View B at another point, which is a sleeveless maxi dress option, as I think that would be really lovely in a lightweight cotton jersey for summer. Vogue 8896 is pretty great — it is extremely comfortable and the v-neck isn’t too low cut, so I can easily add it to my work wardrobe. The bodice is cut on the bias, which allows the fabric to drape and fall nicely, while the flared skirt adds a bit of volume! There are also small sections of gathers at the shoulders and at the waist, which are a pretty design element.

I also cannot get over how gorgeous this Lady McElroy fabric is — this jersey was gifted to me for my birthday (thanks Tiff!) and I love the big, graphic jade-green leaves on the blush pink background. This is an ITY knit, so it feels amazingly soft and it gives a subtle lustre in the light. As I am still a novice sewist of knit fabrics, I really took my time with the cutting and construction, but overall the fabric was pretty easy to sew with. I made sure to use a ballpoint needle and my walking foot on my machine for extra stability.

The dress as a whole came together relatively quickly and the instructions were easy to follow. When cutting out the skirt, I removed 2” off the length to ensure it hits me just above the knee, but that was the only adjustment I made. The next time I make this dress, I think I should make the size smaller and do a narrow shoulder adjustment; I cut sizes based on the finished garment measurements, but I think on this dress there is quite a lot of ease factored in. The construction also has the back skirt cut as two separate pieces, but this seems a bit unnecessary — next time I will cut just one back piece on the fold.

I am already daydreaming about the next wrap dress I make…! While I will always be swayed by colourful prints, I think I may go for solid colour for an autumnal feel — I am thinking mulberry, cinnamon, mustard or navy. What colour would you make for a wrap dress?