A year ago my daughter announced that her best friend was going to marry and she was going to be the master of ceremony.  This occasion asked for a new and special dress, of course. As I love to sew for my loved-ones I was happy to sew one for her. Even though I knew a year in advance, the dress was ready half an hour before she had to leave for the ceremony. More, I had to sew in my sewing attic, on the hottest day of May so far. But I finished the DKNY V1235 and I love it!

The Vogue DKNY V1235 Dress pattern

I found this pattern in the bargain box of my local fabric shop around New Year. I knew immediately that this would be the perfect pattern for my daughter’s master of ceremony’s dress. It ticked all the boxes: a fitted bodice, a v-neck, a loose-fitting skirt, a sexy vibe and suitable for knits.
This is my second Vogue DKNY pattern. Last year I sewed the V1349 and I had some fitting issues. So this time I carefully compared all the measurements. It is very handy that on the Vogue patterns the finished garment measures are indicated on the pattern pieces on the bust, waist and hip points. Based on these and the body measures of my daughter I decided to cut out a straight 24.

The fabric

This lovely fabric is ‘Black Floral Vines on Dusty Jade Border Cotton Jersey Blend Knit’” from Girl Charlee UK. My daughter picked it herself last November. Unfortunately, this fabric is sold out now. I wished I had bought more then because I wanted to use it for my Moneta dress but my daughter wouldn’t let me. At the end, she was right to keep it for this dress.
For the first time I worked with a border pattern and I had this asymmetrical placement in my head before cutting the fabric. I am happy with how it worked out. More importantly, my daughter adores it as well.

The instructions say that this pattern is only suitable for two-way stretch knits and this border fabric has only a one-way stretch—from border to border. So this was ok for the bodice but not for the skirt. Thus I made a muslin of the skirt in a woven fabric and it fitted perfect. I did not have to make any alterations.

The sewing process

The accompanying instructions for the DKNY V1235 pattern are clear and illustrated with drawings. Although everything seemed logical I did not follow all the steps.

• I did not use elastic to gather the shoulder straps but just gathered them with two lines of stitching.
• I sewed the shoulder straps between the back bodice and the facing instead of sewing them on the back.
• A zipper was not needed! The bodice has enough stretch to put the dress on and off without one.

My first FBA

Because of the fitting issues I had with the previous Vogue pattern I first made a muslin in a comparable stretch fabric. As assumed, the front pieces did not cover the whole boobs. Which meant my first Full Bust Adjustment was in order.
A quick search on Google gave me a very good explanation and tutorial from the Curvy Sewing Collective. Only my pattern piece had no darts. Then I found the tutorial from Jennifer Lauren on how to do a full bust adjustment for fitted knit patterns. The combination of these two guides and my pattern drafting lessons gave me the confidence to draw my first FBA.
I sewed a second—now wearable—muslin and it came out perfect.

Is this a quick sew?

No, the DKNY V1235 is not a quick sew. The tucks and the gathers in the bodice front and the creases in the front skirt take their time.  I basted all the marks to sew them neatly. It also took time because I needed two muslins and an FBA to get the fit right.

Conclusion

Sewing this DKNY V1235 dress was challenging and fun. It gave me a satisfying feeling that I could bring it to a good end. More, that my daughter was happy and proud to wear the dress to the wedding of her best friend. Will I sew another? Yes! I still have to finish that second wearable muslin. It is a mustard yellow knit and my daughter is looking forward to it. The question is: will she have to wait another year for it?