I started the New Year generous in spirit by making a dress for my daughter. It’s been over 15 years since I have heard “Will you make me a dress, Mom? ” and she wasn’t referring to a Children’s Corner or Martha Pullen pattern anymore. Mimi wanted a formal dress.
Not only did I make a dress for Mimi, but I made a dress for Mimi with my Mood Fabrics allowance using this baby sequined fabric with a poly-knit mesh base lined with matching china silk. I bought the fabric at Mood NYC and understand there is a good amount available. I have linked you to the sequined fabric in black, but Mood is steadily adding more sequined fabrics to its online offerings; check back here (or call 1-212-730-5003 for the fabric I used).
Due to a busy holiday season we had one day to select the pattern and make a muslin. Time was of the essence forcing me into a sewing marathon in order to finish the dress on time. My only prerequisite was that Mimi select an easy pattern due to time constraints. She wanted a dress that can be easily shortened after the event and settled on Very Easy Vogue 8241.
In making a quick muslin, we faced gaping armholes, but the issue was easily solved by running an ease stitch along the front armhole.
As I sewed the shoulder seams lining and fabric together in an awkward continuous seam, I thought about Susan Khalje’s preference for completing the lining and bodice as separate pieces and carefully handstitching the two together. I partook in a prayful moment before stepping on the presser foot, and was thankful to discover the seams matched.
While Mimi and I wait for a perfect button to appear, I sewed a metal snap at the back opening which magically disappeared into the fabric.
So without further ado, h e r e ’ s Mimi!
We agree the simplicity of the dress pattern lets this gorgeous fabric speak for itself.
The light affects the color of the sequins which change from champagne to gold to taupe.
…….and it moves well too!
Mimi and I love everything about the dress! We deemed it a true winner when my older daughter asked for a short silk version for spring. Looks like I’ll be happily making another one 
Hmmm………….Suddenly the expression
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime
comes to mind. 
Have fun, Mimi!
Beautiful dress AND daughter! Great job!
Thank you, Leigh. It was fun to work on something special for Mimi
Stunning! I love it!
Many thanks, Jeannie! I adore your blog
Stunning! Both of them.
Ah….. thanks, Pendle Stitches, I think she looks stunning too
Gorgeous daughter and her dress is beautiful. Hope you have time to sew for yourself now!
Oh I’m back on track……. Many thanks for writing, Lori!
beautiful dress – I agree with “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” comment but yet to manage to do it with my family and friends lol
Amem! Let me know when you have learned the secret to executing this wise proverb
Thanks for writing, Pauline!
This beautiful dress renews my enthusiasm for sewing. The pattern, fabric choice and fit are the perfect combination. Well done!
What a nice comment, Mary Jo! Many thanks for writing.
Lovely dress on a lovely daughter. You are blessed with your children and your talent.
Thank you, Carole! My children are certainly a blessing……. the talent, um, I’m working on it
Gorgeous! Love the simple silhouette to let the fabric be the star.
Many thanks, Molly! What fun you are having sewing for your children – adorable!
Beautiful dress and cute daughter! And how clever to ask to have it shortened after the event. I bet after shortening, the extra fabric would make a cute skirt, which seems so ‘in’ right now.
Your work inspires! Thanks for sharing!
Many thanks, Tracey! I had the same thought about a skirt. Now……. which one of us will get it?
Gorgeous. Glam. Red carpet worthy. If only I had a place to wear something like this!
Thank you, Cissie! My children have far more glam events than me
Great minds think alike! I first sewed this pattern last summer and it is now one of my favorites. The 5th one, a bronze sequin on a mottled grey/bronze mesh version that I made for the holidays looks very much like your daughter’s! Love this pattern!
Wow – you’ve made five? I’d love to know what fabric you used for the first four….
Many thanks for writing!
Beautiful dress on a beautiful girl! I know she appreciates you!
Thank you so much, Joyce!
I have to agree with all comments above. Mimi looks fantastic.
Thanks, Mrs. K!!!!!
Both dress and daughter are stunning. I made a dress for my daughter last year and the deal was she had to help, this was more of a struggle than I thought – for both of us! I’m hoping though that she will get the sewing bug
Hi Jacq! We had such limited time together that Mimi’s job was to iron pattern pieces, hand me pins and be my assistant but maybe one day she’ll take up sewing
Thank you for the nice comment!
She looks lovely! Great job
I’ll bet the short version will be too cute!
Thank you, Cheryl! How are you?
She looks beautiful! What a great mom you are to make her such a stunning dress! The less is more approach works especially well on pretty young women.
Many thanks, Karin! Mimi’s dress was fun to make especially since it was for a special occasion. I often find it’s best to keep it simple!
Oh my goodness – what a fabulous dress! And your daughter is beautiful too
Thank you, Tonia!
Absolutely gorgeous dress AND daughter. You are amazing.
Aw…. thank you for the very sweet comment !
Less is more…..how true. Simple style, gorgeous fabric (& daughter).
Hi Pam! Simple definitely worked this time
BEAUTIFUL DRESS, AND EQUALLY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER.
Thank you, Joanie!
A pretty girl in a pretty dress!
Many thanks, Ann-Britt !
Wow! Beautiful!!!
Thank you, Jill. I was ver pleased and so was Mimi!
Oh, the simple pattern really showcases this beautiful fabric. She looks stunning. I hope Mimi appreciates having a mother who sews for her. I always did, but not enough! Great job!
Thank you, Becky! Mimi is very appreciative, but I hope one day she will learn to sew.
Lovely dress and great fabric. Did you have problems with the sequins? I always worry they will break beneath the needle
Hi Jane – Thank you for the nice comment. The sequins were simple to sew on, but the fabric was not heavily sequined, I had no broken needles or any problems whatsoever!
wow! sometimes simple really is best! the sequined fabric is just gorgeous and perfect for that pattern. great work!
Thank you, Lisa! I’m glad we kept it simple for sure
I love the sewing you did in 2012!
Gorgeous dress, beautiful daughter!!!
Many thanks, Judi!
Oh, how pretty! Both the dress and the daughter!
Thank you, Margy! Mimi was thrilled with the result – I was relieved and delighted
Thanks, Mom!!
Y O U A R E W E L C O M E ! ! !
I’m so glad you chose this pattern. I have it and black sequined fabric but had held off due to some bad reviews!
Hi Lizzy! My only problem was the gaping in the armholes and the ease stitch did the trick without any puckering. You’ll be stunning in black sequins!
Gosh, she looks so like you! Beautiful dress (and model). Very well done.
Thank you, Ruth!
Beautiful – daughter and dress! I made a red sequinned dress for NYE celebrations and also used a simple cowl dress. This is the colour I wanted but they didn’t have any left.
Thank you, Sofie! You look beautiful in the red sequins!
Gorgeous dress and sets of the fabric perfectly.
Many thanks, Sharon
Love the dress, the color and the beautiful model. Well done!!!
It all turned out! Whew
I’m with you and Mimi, I love this dress! I love the pattern…I have yet to make it for myself, but I plan to. I’ve made it twice for the same client, both times in velvet…they turned out gorgeous! and, you’re right, the simplicity of the pattern does allow the fabric to speak!! I often imagined it in a sequined fabric…it turned out wonderfully!
Thank you, Alethia! I loved sewing this pattern too and was pleased at how easily it went together
absolutely jaw dropping. JAW DROPPING!!!
Thank you, Oona! Would you believe she caught the bouquet
I love this SO MUCH! Absolutely gorgeous. Your daughter is gorgeous, just like you!
What a sweet comment, Ginger! I love this pattern – might even make myself one
!
Ahh! You should! You would look great in this style!
Hi Pauline, My daughter sent me a link to your website and I’m so glad she did. Your daughter and her dress look fabulous and it will look great when you shorten it. My daughter and I are going to have a sewing weekend soon and make a version of the Keira Knightly green dress worn in the film ‘Atonement’……and (the even better news) we are making it with fabric purchased from the Great Gatsby sale here in Sydney recently where they sold a lot of the props, fabrics, etc. after the film was finished. I can’t wait to start sewing the dress for a red carpet function at the Sydney Opera House. I have added your blog to my bookmarks and will be checking on your next creation!
Best regards,
Lorraine E.
She’s adorable and the dress is gorgeous!!
Many thanks, Judy!
Gorgeous dress dress and stunning model! And such luxe fabrics!
The fabric definitely made the dress this time! Thank you!
Awwwwww, she’s so cute! (And the dress too!). Seriously though…your work on this dress was absolutely great and your daughter looks stunning!
Thank you, Myra! The fabric and model exceed my sewing
Oh my goodness, your daughter is a brunette version of you! She looks fabulous in her new dress, and how fun to have an occasion to wear a formal. Beautiful gown.
Thank you for this sweet comment, Crystalpleats! We were very pleased
Fabulous dress!!! Were the sequins hard to sew with? I want to make a similar dress (but with a faux wrap / v neck and shoestring strap bodice) but I’m scared of sequins! And don’t really need a floor length sequin number right now, but that’s a minor detail
Thank you, Zoe! The sequins were not difficult to sew on at all – No broken needle or strange seams! This fabric was not heavily sequined like many I have seen. I’m glad I kept it simple though
That’s encouraging. Now I just need to find some kind of justification for my gown…
What a perfect pairing of fabric and pattern – and daughter!! Mimi – you look gorgeous, and I hope you told everyone that your mom made your gorgeous dress! It is really flattering – just lovely!
Thank you, Karen! I have a feeling Mimi told everyone I made her dress
You made the right decision to keep it simple. The results are totally glamourous!
Thank you, Gail! I love, love, love your latest tunic!
Such a beautiful dress and beautiful daughter! Good luck on teaching her to “fish”. My daughter loves for me to sew, but sees no reason to learn since I can. I have talked to other moms with similar experiences. I know there are exceptions and I hope your daughters agree to learn from their very talented mom.
Thank you, Jan! While I don’t expect her to learn to sew immediately, I think she may consider it down the road
Thank you, Jan! I don’t expect either daughter to learn to sew until they have a little more space. Eventually however I hope at least ONE will learn.Time will tell, I suppose
I found your blog while I was looking for reviews on this pattern. I have a Charity Gala to go to in less than 3 weeks. I had already bought this pattern and was debating on it and two Burda patterns. After I saw your lovely daughter in the photo, I immediately sat down in my studio and prepared the Vogue pattern!! I desperately looked for EXACTLY the fabric you used and didn’t find it. I have some 5 yards of Crepe Satin in a beautiful bordeaux which I knew would be more than enough for any dress I chose and decided to use it mostly because I thought it would look stunning with my patent leather nude peeptoes! I’m going at it without a muslin…wish me luck!
You’re making me wonder if I could do a fast….maybe start with 6 months??
Your dress will be beautiful in a bordeaux satin! Are you sure you don’t want to make a muslin – just on the top? I’ve found this to be the key to successful sewing for me because I’ve yet to find a patten that fits perfectly. Please send me a photo of your finished dress and good luck with the sewing!!
PS….. the RTW Fast is a piece of cake
I made this dress about 8 years ago and loved it. I still have this pattern (it’s classic). Since then I have inherited a hunk of black sequin fabric. I think there will be a wedding soon!!! Thanks for the idea and inspiration! Oh and teaching a man to fish is a good thing! (LOL!)
Thank you, Carol! I love this pattern too! …. a black sequin dress would be fabulous!
beautiful!! The fabric really looks gorgeous in every light, the sewing is perfect and it looks lovely on your daughter!
Many thanks, Robin and thank goodness it all worked out!!
Wow, a stunning dress for a stunning girl!
Many thanks, and I love that dress you’re getting rid of
The dress is gorgeous. I’m totally jealous cause after trying to make a sequened dress and breaking at least 6 needles I gave up. I was worried I’d wreck the timing on my machine. Any tricks to sewing with sequens?
Thank you, Rita! This fabric was not heavily sequined which made for easy sewing. The sequins were made of a very light weight plastic. I’ve heard you should take off the sequins in the seam allowance to avoid breaking needles, but I didn’t have to do that with this fabric.
Don’t give up!!!
Thank you. I won’t give up!! Once again, the dress is beautiful
Yay to the “please sew for me” sound! Soon I know my kids will stop wanting me to make them stuff and I hope one day in the not too distant future they’ll start asking me again. Wonderful fabric choice – I bet it is a dream to wear too. Lovely dress and daughter both.
Thank you, Calico Stretch! Time flies as it seems like I was making her little girl clothes not too long ago.
Now that she she’s how grown up sewing is worthwhile after all, I hope she will consider learning one day !
I love that dress. It looks like something Taylor Swift would wear to an awards ceremony.
My mom made all my clothes when I was little & tried to teach me to sew when I was a teenager. Instead, I bought tons of Forever 21 & Target clothes that fell apart after a few washes. Now that I have a job and buy my own clothes, I am frustrated with the quality of clothes. I am also frustrated with how hard it is to find trendy clothes that are appropriate to wear as a teacher (the mall is full of business clothes that are too tight, too short, and too low-cut for teaching). This past summer I taught myself to sew using You Tube videos & blogs (at age 27). When I started to sew more complicated things, I asked my mom to help me. She almost died of shock that I started sewing!
Hi Amanda – What a great story! I have not tried to teach my daughters to sew yet, and like you, it may be easier to learn the basics from someone other than me
At any rate you have embraced a life long hobby that can bring about enjoyment on many levels.
Thank you for the compliment on the dress and for sharing your sewing experience!
What a gorgeous dress!
Thank you, Heather!
Beautiful dress for a beautiful girl – Really enjoyed following your journey and look forward to sewing with you in 2013.
Thank you, Jacqui! I’m just about at a stopping point with reorganizing the sewing room and can’t wait to start sewing again
I am about to make this dress for my college-age daughter — she has a very special event coming up next month. She’s about 2.5 hours away so my fitting timeframe is tight. Am wondering if you could elaborate a bit on how you handled the armhole gaping — did you do a slight gather along the armscye edge and cut the lining a bit smaller to accommodate? I’m thinking about how this came about and having a hard time envisioning it. I am also thinking my daughter will need a slight FBA on this pattern, which may be an additional challenge. But we have beautiful fabric and I’m very excited about diving it. Just looking for any additional insight. Your daughter and her dress are beautiful — am hoping for a similar outcome.
Hi AJW and thanks for writing. After making the muslin we noticed gaping armholes. I ran an easestitch along the front portion (single stitch line on longest stitch-length setting) along the front armscye edge for the fashion fabric and lining. This completely took care of the problem. Of course I tried this out on the muslin first. Because my fashion fabric was textured and heavy the easestitch was not noticable at all! I hope the solution is as easy for you. Good luck and I’d love to see a pic of the finished dress!
Incredibly kind of you to answer so quickly — I am greatly appreciative. I will keep this tip in mind as I work on my daughter’s muslin — our fabric is also textured so I suspect the same “fix” will work, if needed, on our version. If all comes together I will be sure to share a pic upon completion. Facing the same time constraint as you did, coupled with the long-distance fitting and sewing issue — I’m fingers X’d that this pattern has as successful an outcome. Thank you again!
I am forever in love with pattern. Such a classic line. picture with opera gloves…Beautiful on your DD.
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