Dresses

Pass The Wine – Vogue V1044

Phew, what a project. This is Vintage Vogue 1044, an original 1956–1957 pattern.

almond rock vintage vogue 1044 linen

I started off thinking of this as a shirtdress, but that seems flippant.

almond rock vintage vogue 1044 linen

It’s a mid-length dress with a pleated button-front bodice, and has a front and back yoke that extends into grown on sleeves. The skirt is gathered, but also designed with a snap closing in front and inverted pleats.

Everything came together when Kath shared a photo of this pattern on her instagram account. You could have bowled me over when she offered to send me her copy. I had been searching for a very long time for a copy in my size and it was like a dream come true when the post turned up from Australia.

almond rock vintage vogue 1044 linen

I chose this dress for my Vintage Pattern Pledge as a challenge to myself, to prove I could handle a complex pattern that used vintage techniques. And I think I’ve been pretty successful with it!

The pattern suggests Crepe, Shantung, Batiste or Taffeta but I picked this wine coloured Linen as I knew it would be well suited for the pleated bodice while still having enough drape for the skirt. Plus the colour is lush! Covering buttons for the bodice just seemed like the right choice too. Plus there was Gutermann thread in a perfect colour match.

almond rock vintage vogue 1044 linen

Taking time and effort with this pattern was very important to me. I made three muslins of the bodice to correct fit and practice the complicated placket instructions.

During a bout of internet research I found some brilliant tips for this dress: I changed the order of some of the steps (e.g. sewing my darts after my pleats and stay stitching my corners before assembling the yoke). I also reinforced the sharp corners where the yoke joined the bodice with squares of silk instead of the suggested seam binding.

The yoke facing is entirely hand-stitched and so was the epic hem (I added some lace trim to the hem for a sweet touch). The visible seams are pinked which gave me the chance to use my Grandma’s pinking shears she used when we sewed as a younger woman.

almond rock vintage vogue 1044 linen

I was very respectful of the pattern up to a certain point but I just couldn’t get along with the snap front skirt. It gaped and didn’t hang right, and to be honest seemed rather unnecessary. I instead recut a standard skirt and unpicked the right side-seam to hand-sew an invisible zipper.

almond rock vintage vogue 1044 linen

It’s a shame, but I had to up the exposure on the camera to show the details, the colour is a beautiful rich red. I feel so elegant in this dress. And I’m even happier that the dress matches a pair of shoes I already own, yippee!

I think the only thing I wish I’d done was add pockets. Maybe next time?

almond rock vintage vogue 1044 linenRight, pass me the wine. It’s time for a celebratory drink!

(67) Comments

  1. Gorgeous!

    1. almondrock says:

      Aww thanks very much!

  2. WOWEEEEEE! That is truly a thing of great beauty! Bravo!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thanks so much! I much wrap it up in tissue and keep it safe now out of terror of ruining it

      1. Ha yes, I would be very tempted to put it in a glass cabinet and invite people over for viewings!

  3. Looks stunning! Well done!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thanks mum!!

  4. What an excellent make! Well done, it looks perfect. Love the colour, too.

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! It’s an even better colour in real life

  5. Totally inspirational. That dress screams perfection, and talent and patience and beauty. And is exactly the kind of post I want to read about. Cheers, clever lady x

    1. almondrock says:

      Wow thanks so much! Glad to have delivered! X

  6. Soooo beautiful. The bodice! The colour! Love love.

    1. almondrock says:

      Aww thank you! I’m pretty smitten with it (and slightly relieved it all worked out)

  7. Love the details! Very pretty

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you so much!

  8. misscrayolacreepy says:

    Your hard work paid off, this dress is gorgeous! The tucks are perfection and I like that you covered the buttons. It adds a nice touch.

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! I’m very relieved it turned out ok. Phewwww

  9. What a gorgeous colour! It suits you really well. This pattern seems to have been quite a lot of work – well done for making three muslins! It was absolutely worth it! Have you worn it already?

    1. almondrock says:

      I seem to making three muslins for everything lately! I love the outcome though. I wore it out for a nice dinner with my photographer to celebrate!

  10. Well done on your patience to get this finished, it looks marvellous! I love all the details, truly magnificent! I agree with you on the snap finish for the skirt. I have made vintage patterns with this detail and I just can’t do it, too much fear of flashing!!

    1. almondrock says:

      Ohhh so glad you agree about the snaps!! Thanks for your lovely comments. I’m in love with this dress a little bit

  11. Well done your dress is beautiful your hard work has certainly paid off

    1. almondrock says:

      Aww thank you so much!

  12. That dress is gorgeous – absolutely my favourite from all the makes I have seen on your blog. It has an early Laura Ashley look about it and your work on the detailing is really skilful. Well done you – can we see a photo of you wearing it at an occasion?

    1. almondrock says:

      Wow thanks so much for your lovely comments! I will do my best to get photos at an event. Any excuse to wear this dress as much as possible

  13. scruffybadger says:

    What a corker! ( continuing the wine pun 😉 )
    It’s beautiful Amy, and such a perfect finish, all your hard work was worth it, you’ve got an heirloom dress there!

    1. almondrock says:

      Haha love it! Thank you for your lovely comments. What a nice idea to think of this dress still being around in years to come!

  14. Stunning! That bodice is amazing!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you so much!

  15. Beautiful dress. The shape is perfect for you, the details are gorgeous and it looks wonderfully made.

    1. almondrock says:

      Wow thank you! I love wearing it

  16. Oh, Amy! How stunning! I’m honoured that you joined in with #vintagepledge and went to such a great effort with your make. What a beautiful dress with gorgeous details…love it so much! I think I have the repro version of this pattern and I can’t wait to make it now :o) Have added you to the dedicated Pinterest board http://www.pinterest.com/stitchodyssey/vintage-sewing-pattern-pledge/ :o)

    1. almondrock says:

      Yay! Thanks for hosting such a fun challenge. I’m in illustrious company on that board

  17. Amy! This is totally wonderful! Such a posh dress but also the lovely fabric makes it look like you could wear it any old day (and feel fabulous in so doing!). Great job!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! I do love swishing around the house in it heehee

  18. That is a dress with a challenge but you learn so much from making them – it is fabulous. Jo x

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank so much! I did learn a lot. Makes me feel I can conquer anything

  19. stitchedupsam says:

    Really, really lovely. You’ve obviously put lots and lots of time and effort into this dress, and it’s definitely worth it as the result is beautiful.

    1. almondrock says:

      Awww thanks so much! I am overjoyed that it turned out ok

  20. So cute! Love the buttons, they’re a nice detail.

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! Covering buttons is so much fun!

  21. Beautiful work!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you so much!

  22. This is gorgeous! I love the shape of the bodice with the yokes and pleats.

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you! I love it too. Lots of work but worth it I think

  23. It’s gorgeous Amy! It’s totally worth the effort that you put into it, and really suits you!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thanks so much! I love wearing red but very rarely sew with solid colours

  24. Very nice indeed Amy, it has a country girl out for a walk look about it…you need a hat to match I think! Well worth all the effort you put in x

    1. almondrock says:

      Awww thanks! Oooh I’d love a hat to wear with it! That’s my next mission

    1. almondrock says:

      Hahaha thanks so much!

  25. So many intricate sewing details in this dress you made a good choice to use plain fabric. Would someone top Amy’s glass up please, I think she deserves it.

    1. almondrock says:

      *Clink* thanks so much. I don’t know why I don’t sew solid colours more!?

  26. You know how much we love this on you. Well done! Too bad the pattern is out of print. 🙁

  27. Wow, that is a beautiful dress! Love all the details!

  28. This is gorgeous! It’s a great colour, I love the lace trim and the fact that you chose to challenge yourself. Well done!

  29. You certainly have proved your skills and dedication – absolutely beautiful – totally adore the detailing but then that’s why we love vintage style so much I suppose. 🙂

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you so much! It’s a real shame you don’t see modern sewing patterns like this.

  30. Wow! What a stunner of a dress! It’s absolutely lovely.

  31. I can’t get over this dress! It is absolutely delightful,beautiful,and positively lush.

    I am so inspired by what you have achieved with this dress! You have serious skills! I would have been terrified of those sharp corners at the yoke! I think linen was a splendid choice and the colour is gorgeous on you! 🙂 x

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you so much for giving me the chance to make this dress!!

  32. This is beautiful…the effort you went to to get it perfect really shows!

  33. Congratulations on such a beautiful dress! I love all the details and truly believe your effort has been rewarded by the stunning result! I am waiting for the pattern to arrive into my mailbox, so I will start on this soon enough, hoping I will so justice to its design!

  34. Ooh that’s a lovely dress. I love 1950’s style dresses, it really suits you too!

    1. almondrock says:

      Thank you so much! It all really came together on this one I think 🙂

  35. […] wear. The fabric comes in an enticing range of colours and at £4.99/m is a real bargain. Check out Amy’s vintage Vogue in the burgundy version. Yeah, I think I’ll be needing some of that colour […]

  36. […] I became very interested when I saw V9000. It made me think about my version of V1044, probably because of the grown on sleeves. It went on the shortlist (thinking, well surely I’ll […]

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