Vogue 1241: sew along, day #3

5. To make dart in BACK (4), slash along solid line to square.

By slash, they just mean cut along the line. Don't cut out a wedge or anything.

5a. Staystitch back section closest to center, between upper small circle and armhole edge.

5b. Gather back section closest to the side seam, between upper small circle and middle circle.

Check out the photos under step 6 if this doesn't make sense yet. I didn't take pictures of the cutting, staystitching, and gathering since you just used those techniques yesterday.

6. Fold dart seam, right sides together, matching lower circles and solid lines, continuing to pin side back edges together, matching... Adjust gathers. Stitch... Press fold of dart and seam toward center.
When sewing this seam, the gathers might move around a little bit. To make your life easier, baste this seam, then check to make sure the gathers fall how you want them to, and then go back over with regular stitching.

In this picture, you can see where I adjusted the gathers and then sewed the seam. The dart is on the left side of this picture. There are markings on the pattern to indicate where to start angling toward the dart if it's not obvious.

Here's what the back looks like after you open it up and press. The center back is on the bottom of this picture.

7. Fuse BACK INTERFACING (5) to wrong side of back.

Again, I skipped the interfacing. It's up to you!

8. A note about reinforcing the back center seam at the bottom, where the slit will go.

I didn't do this. It really depends on your fabric and personal preference.

9. Stitch back to front at shoulders.

This should be self-explanatory, but here are some pictures for clarification.

Stitch shoulder seams

Shoulder seams open flat (this photo was actually taken at a later step... you might be able to see the lining peaking out a little under the outer fabric.

Vogue 1241: sew along day #2

Let's get to work! Today we'll assemble the upper front and side front pieces. Since these steps might involve some new skills for some of you, I'll stop there and pick up with the next steps tomorrow.

1. To make pleats in the UPPER FRONT (1) on outside, crease along lines of small circles. Bring creases to lines of large circles. Baste. Baste across upper edge. Press.
I don't really know what the first basting step is. I only basted once. See the photos below.

Fold the pleats along one line (marked with a small circle) and then adjust the fold so it rests along the line marked by the large circle. You'll be pointing your folds toward the center front when you fold them down. Pin them in place, and make sure the fold follows the line you traced onto the pattern.

After folding all your pleats, baste them in place. This means you should use the longest stitch your machine has to offer. I tend to baste about 3/8" away from the edge so I don't have to worry about the stitches showing/needing removal after I actually make a seam.

Vogue 1241: sew along day #1

Today you should cut out your pattern pieces. I won't walk through the details of grainline, selvedges, etc. because you likely already know these things. If not, read through the last few sew alongs for links and details.

The fit of this dress is weird! Your measurements should tell you what your pattern size should be. My measurements put me around a size 10. Take a look at the finished pattern measurements (the circles with crosses in the middle on the tissue paper itself - for example, the finished bust measurement is on pattern piece 1). They are ENORMOUS (at least on the top half of your body) relative to your actual measurements. Because of this, I sized down to an 8 before cutting, and I also had to take the dress in about an inch in the back. Ultimately this was too much from my hips down, so I had to take it out at the sides along my legs. 

Do you see the circles with a cross in the middle? These list the finished garment measurements at the bust, waist, and hips. There is also a bottom finished measurement. Check them and compare to your actual measurements. You're most likely going to have way too much ease. Size down.