The Great Pattern Review
Vogue
#1352 - Vogue Original Design by Emanuel Ungaro (Out of Print)
Susan Gwin - Highly Recommended
I've made a lot of Vogue patterns and found this one to be very easy. I didn't have any problems. It makes up into a charming 1940s dress.
#1806 - Vogue 1940's Style Evening Gown (Out of Print)
Kathleen Farrell - Recommended
A very 1940's style slinky dress, great for evening. I made it in today's washable stretch velvet. It went together easily. I had trouble getting the top of the straps to look smooth so I added a decorative bridge. You have to be careful sewing the dip down sides or you get lumps on your hips. It's easy to wear and I get lots of compliments.
#2241 - Vintage Vogue Original 1931 Design
Loren Dearborn - Recommended
This pattern was relatively easy but you do have to go slowly. Measure yourself carefully beforehand and make sure you have the right size pattern, because of the way the pattern pieces are shaped it is difficult to alter. However it can be done in the waist/hip area by enlarging or shrinking the back panel piece just a bit. It's very flattering. I love the way this dress came out!
Monique Motyl - Not Recommended
I thought it looked liked a sack. There was a lack of definition between the waist and hip. It wasn't flattering.
Corrie McKinley - Not Recommended
This dress seems to have been meant for a relatively waist-less figure, and as I am 34-24-34, it did not fit right. There was too much material at the waist, and the belt only bubbled it up weirdly above the derriere. As the pattern pieces are very strangely shaped, there seems to be no way to remedy this. I made this dress in a very wonky satin material, and I cannot over-emphasize the need for hand-basting. This dress has a lot of top-stitching, and a bias-cut section, so if you don't baste first, it will pull out of shape. I sewed the back drape pieces into the skirt, instead of top-stitching them onto the outside which produces an impossibly tight, floor-length nightmare. If I made this dress again, I would skip the facing, which shows in back, and just cut two of the bodice pieces instead. All in all, this was a mediocre, disappointing dress.
#2267 - Vintage Vogue Original 1954 Design
Sally Norton - Highly Recommended
This is a very pretty dress and jacket. The finished dress looks exactly like the illustration. The instructions are clear and accurate and all the pattern pieces fit correctly. The jacket sleeves could be extended to full length to make this for fall/winter. Although this pattern is being sold as a day dress, it would be beautiful for evening or, cut long in satin, as a wedding dress. The princess line is flattering and slimming and looks good on every body type. Buy this pattern and make it up. You will love the result and wear the dress a lot. Trust me.
#2322 - Vintage Vogue Original 1943 Design (Out of Print)
Kendra Van Cleave - Recommended
The finished product is quite pretty, but the gathers on the bodice and skirt front were a bit tricky. I'd recommended experimenting with a muslin before using your fashion fabric.
#2367 - Men's Zoot Suit
Louise Sullivan
I only made the jacket part of this pattern, and even thought it was a challenge, I was very please with how it turned out. I was very methodical about following the instructions and careful about being sure what I was doing before sewing. Defiantly a challenge, but I think it turned out very nicely. Pictured at right (the jacket is the burgundy guy in the middle).
Gail Finke - Not Recommended
I made the pants for my husband. I wouldn't attempt the jacket. It is without a doubt the worst sewing project I've ever taken on since our family baptismal gown (also a Vogue pattern). This is the first men's commercial pattern I've ever used (yeah, I know, what a way to start!). I thought the pattern was great; the finished pants look wonderful. It's just the directions that are awful. Follow them to the letter and you get a mistake. I guess maybe they're geared toward people who have already made tailored suits, but for those of us that haven't, they STINK. I had to rip lots of things out and do them again. So beware. I'm just lucky they fit so well. I would have been really lost if I'd had to make any adjustments. The zipper instructions made no sense at all. Luckily for me, my mother came to visit and she did the zipper. The directions didn't make any sense to her, either. She did the zipper a different way, and though it wasn't right, it looks fine.
#2371 - Vintage Vogue Original 1941 Design (Out of Print)
Gladys Campbell - Highly Recommended
Excellent pattern. Goes together beautifully and looks wonderful. I made View A, the day dress in a medium weight rayon. I'm going to make it again in wool and then I want to make the evening version. This dress is very wearable for everyday. It's a timeless design. Now, the tricky bits: fitting the shoulder seams takes some work. The shoulder cap lays flat. The back is smooth and the front pieces are eased into the shoulder caps. All of this does not come together without patience and work. You cannot be in a hurry when you sew these Vintage Vogue patterns. This is another one marked Average difficulty. I recommend it for Intermediate level sewers.
#2476 - Vintage Vogue Original 1949 Design (Out of Print)
Robin Brewer - Not Recommended
This instructions in this pattern are incomplete in some areas and inaccurate in others. I expected the pattern to include a choice of the original instructions from 1949 and a modern update. It has neither. The instructions are 'dumbed down' to the point that they do not make sense. There are no basic instructions on jacket construction techniques or fitting. The instructions for the shoulder seams are wrong; you'll end up with a wad of fabric that creates protruding lumps on top of your shoulders (they were not wearing 'lumps' in 1949). The instructions for doing bound buttonholes are wrong; the buttonholes would not hold. The jacket turns out to be a boxy shape when it is supposed to be very fitted. All the jacket seams had to be taken in 2 inches. Because the jacket is supposed to be fitted, has pockets and insert pieces, making the alterations on the pattern pieces is all about math calculations (not real fun). The good news is the skirt fitted perfectly without any alterations. It is definitely the best fitting skirt I own and is very attractive.
#2494 - Vintage Vogue Original 1948 Design
Gladys Campbell - Recommended
This pattern is for very experienced sewers. The pattern is marked Average difficulty; that is a strong under-statement. It's a wonderful pattern, but requires serious study before you even begin the muslin. It will take a lot of patience, but if you want to create a glamorous forties evening gown, this is it. I made a few changes. The fabric I'm using is not double-sided so I lined the drapery piece and the front bodice panels. I lowered the front skirt seams and gathering and I took it in a bit at the waist. The drawing on the package looks quite fitted, but the pattern comes out a little too loose; you'll want to adjust it to be closer to the body.
#2560 - Vintage Vogue Original 1937 Design (Out of Print)
Gladys Campbell - Recommended
So far, I've only made the jacket. The dress will wait until next Spring. The pattern is excellent. I was using a very light silk crepe so I added a lining (instructions are not included for lining). With the lining the neckline became a bit tricky. I had to work with it a bit to get it to lay smooth. The front is two layers of fabric. I attached the bias trim by hand. It takes a lot more time but, when you working with very light fabrics, hand sewing gives a better result. I made the bias out of the same weight of crepe in a contrast colour. The jacket fits perfectly and is extremely attractive. I'm looking forward to making the dress.
#2714 - Vogue American Designer, Oscar de la Renta
Gladys Campbell - Recommended
The difficulty level of this pattern is listed as Average. Wrong. It is for Advanced sewers. There are a lot of pattern pieces. The fitting is very tricky. There are no side seams where you can make an adjustment. There is only a side dart. You have to make a muslin, fit it and mark the pattern changes on your muslin. It's a very time-consuming pattern. Be prepared to make a lot of changes based on your body; for example, I lowered the two front pleats. I'm 5'4". The pleats came up to just under my bustline. I'm too short for that look. I also moved the bust darts for my body. The sleeves are as enormous as they look in the photo. I shortened the cuff ruffle. It's really large and completely covered my hand.
#2774 - Misses Evening Gown with Diagonal Neckline
Patt Queen - Not Recommended
This has to be the absolute worst pattern I have ever worked with. I'm an experienced seamstress with 40+ years experience. The instructions made no sense. The illustrations made no sense. When I contacted Vogue for help, they were clueless and useless. The gown has a very strange single dart in the front that makes the dress look boxy. It does not follow body lines whatsover in the bust area. The self drape is not long enough for wrapping around the shoulders. The boning was needless overkill. If you attempt to make this dress, do so with muslin or cheap fabric first and by all means, fit as you go on a dressform. It was a lot of work for very unsatisfying results.
Carly Bullock - Not Recommended
I could have written Patt's review. I had exactly the same experience with this pattern. My first clue was when I noticed that the Center Back was marked "Center Front," and the yardage on the pattern back for the unnecessary boning was a yard short. It just got worse from there. What nightmare! Glad to know it wasn't just me.
#7110 - Very Vogue Misses' Cape Design (Out of Print)
Sorrel Smith - Not Recommended
This hooded cape looks nice in the illustration but ... the shoulders are rather square and the front is not cut full enough to really hang closed for warmth. The hood sits halfway back on your head and tends to slip off. Use the Folkwear Kinsdale cloak instead.
#9936 - Misses Evening Gown, Teens Style (Out of Print)
Lisa Prindle - Highly Recommended
This is Vogue's version of the Jump Dress from the film Titanic (1997). I lengthend the sleeves to nearly 3/4 and moved the opening to the side (instead of a zipper up the back). Your choice of fabric will determine the difficulty of the assembly. I sewed sequins and beads onto the overskirt and the loosely woven lace keeps catching on the beads.The directions have the underskirt cut on the bias which can pull across the tummy. I cut it on the straight grain and it looks much better.