A New to Me Vanamo Cocktail Dress

Coser Cosas sent me the lovely Vanamo pattern by Named Patterns for the pattern swap. First of all, I love the gorgeous packaging!

I’ve been eyeing Named Patterns for awhile now so I was thrilled to receive this pattern just in time for the New to Me contest. The first thing I noticed about the pattern, though, is that the seam allowances are not included so you have to remember to add seam allowance before you cut out your pattern pieces. I made a muslin of the top and skirt first so that I would get a great fit.

The fabric I used is neoprene with pugs all over it. I picked the fabric up last year at Mood Fabrics in New York. Here’s a close up of the pugs:

This was my first time working with neoprene so that’s New to Me, too. If you’ve never worked with neoprene before it is a synthetic rubber material that is form fitting. Sewing with a serger is recommended, which is what I did. When you use a standard machine you will want to use larger needles and a longer stitch length. I used a size 14 needle and set my stitch length to 3. Also, the great thing about neoprene is that it does not shrink so there was no need to pretreat my fabric.

I cut a size 4 for the top and skirt based on the finished garment measurements. The pattern is designed for non-stretch fabrics. However, I felt the playfulness of this fabric would suit the design of the garment. Therefore, I forged ahead but decided to omit the back zipper details. With this fabric, I can simply slide on and off so zippers aren’t necessary. Yay!

Therefore, I cut the skirt back on the fold so that I wouldn’t have a seam running down the back and so as to not interrupt the pattern. I also cut my fronts on the fold even though the pattern instructs you to have seams running down the front as well. If I were working with a solid rather than a print I may have done that.

It was so much fun to work with a new pattern company! I’m really pleased with how this turned out and I’m excited to bust it out on the next time I’m out with my girlfriends. Also, new to me: going out in public to take photos! It was a little unnerving but I thought this cute pink house would make a good backdrop. I’ve loved seeing everyone’s makes. Keep ’em coming!

If you’re interested in any of my other projects, please visit me at See Carmen Sew.