Vogue Dresses: 3 from 1 pattern

I have a business trip to New York City coming up tomorrow, and I needed new, "modern" business wear for the occasion.  I went to an upscale thrift shop nearby, and scored a Calvin Klein suit jacket for $15; the fit was perfect, so I snagged a pair of Saks Fifth Avenue pumps for $7 while I was at it.  No reason to skip the good bargains, right?

Anyway, I knew I had a plaid piece of fabric at home, and thought that might mike a great business dress to go with the jacket.  I also had a pattern which Shannon used to make a court dress a few years back; other than needing to cut it 2 sizes larger than hers, it was perfect.  But since I hadn't made it before, and wasn't positive that I would get the sizing perfect, I decided to make a test dress from this paisley, which I loved.  It was a little too big, so I took it in.  I love it with my jacket.

Then I made a gray version from a lightweight cotton, a size smaller.  I gave it a test wear one day, but wasn't thrilled with the skirt. However, it did look good with my jacket.

So when I made the final version, I went with a slightly flared skirt.  And since I was short on fabric, there is no collar.  I'm absolutely delighted with my pattern matching; it's almost perfect.  And since I have not really played with plaid before, and, further, plaid requires very close matching in 2 dimensions. I thought I was pretty smart here!  This one is exactly what I had in mind when I bought this jacket.

So I sent all of these pictures to my daughters, and to Jeff, who works for a Giant American Corporation.  The girls voted for the paisley; Jeff voted for the plaid.  Patrick likes the gray best, but since I have to sit for 6 hours, the straight skirt isn't ideal.

So, that's what I've been working on these days.  No more sewing for at least a week; it's time to live through Thanksgiving!

Happy Monday, everyone!