Vogue Very Easy vs Easy

And there I was wasting my time in Dymocks and Borders. I'm in Melbourne next week, and I know the shop you're talking about. I'll go check it out - thanks Chris!

Julie.

the Readers Digest book is available here in Oz, you might need to look in a technical bookshop eg The Technical Book and Magazine shop in Melbourne

or you could do what many of us have done and buy off ebay. I don't think there's any for sale at the moment (of course!!) but you can usually pick up a reasonably new one for a good price.

sorry, can't help with the patterns but good luck!

chris :-)

Before you order any books or fabric, here are two books on fitting your library may have or that you can also order:

"Fit for Real People" by Pati Palmer & Marta Alto

"Fitting Rinesse" by Nancy Zieman

These are both great books, although they take different approaches to mastering fit.

another Sharon

Before you order any books or fabric, here are two books on fitting your library may have or that you can also order:

"Fit for Real People" by Pati Palmer & Marta Alto

"Fitting Rinesse" by Nancy Zieman

These are both great books, although they take different approaches to mastering fit.

another Sharon

Fitting Solutions by Sandra Betzina is another good one. Details of quite a few if these books can be found on my Book List - including ISBNs, which make ordering easy! :)

Hi there, Julie! Glad you made it over here! This is a very chatty and encouraging group! :)

There is very little difference between 'easy' and 'very easy' vogue patterns - some have a few more pieces, or are a little more fitted. On the one hand you can get Advances Vogue patterns that go together like so many Lego bricks, because the pattern is so well drafted and has plenty of places for adjusting the fit, and on the other you can have real problems with a very easy one because there are fewer places to alter it and the fabric is a pain!

I find it best to choose the sort of thing you are likely to wear, and make it in a nice but bargain fabric first time round, and something fab when you know you can do it well. Crisp cottons and poly cotton suit weight fabrics are easy to handle and get good results on, and if you prove a shirt pattern first in a nice cheap and cheerful sheeting, it's then fun to make it up in a glorious patchwork print!

Julie a few places that you may find helpful, Book Services Australia, Bay Street Brighton - a book shop and mail order company that deals entirely in craft and sewing related books. Ring and ask for list or drop in, most books are reduced from RRP. Darn Cheap Fabric - Glen Huntly road Glen Huntly - excellent range and great prices you can also buy direct from their warehouse in North Road Murrumbeena, extra discount there for cash. Jack Stock, Richmond - haberdashery wholesaler who will deal direct to public, very cheap. Spotlight - join their VIP club and get 10% off patterns even when they are on sale. Spotlight also offer lots of sewing classes at reasonable prices, check with you closest store. I could go on and on then you would spend all your time going to these places and have no time for actual sewing. Have fun Jane

I've been a faithful buyer of Vogue patterns for 20 years and have had nothing but good experiences with them, including Very Easy, Very Vogue. I think the fit may depend on your particular measurements - they're obviously selecting for someone my shape, unlike, for instance, Simplicity.

:) Trish

I have used a lot of the Vogue Designer patterns, and found them very good. But in the few occasions that we had bad patterns, they were always from the Very Easy collection.

Simplicity.

Sounds like the Vogue patterns might be a good place to start practicing the stuff I've been reading about adjusting patterns to fit me. I'm going to start with a basic unlined shift dress, so hopefully that won't present too many challenges.

Julie.

Kate's advice is very sound and I can only add that most patterns recommend fabrics for the particular style. If you are in any doubt, use these fabric recommendations.

The pattern will also say whether the style is fitting, semi fitting or loose fitting. I am always wary of loose fitting anything. If you are just starting out (or coming back after a long absence) from sewing, I would go for a semi-fitted or fitting style and make a muslin (or prefit) in some cheap scrap material.

However, I made the mistake of using material that was too cheap and nasty for one prefit - and it was a waste of time. So use a reasonable quality fabric. You can get some really good ones in hideous colours or patterns on sale (try Spotlight) to practise on.

I like Vogue patterns. I have recently been altering and adjusting patterns to fit some of my non-standard figure features (need I say more?) The bust-dart positioning on Vogue patterns were far better than those on McCalls for me. I am high-busted and short (under 5ft

2 ins).

Good luck with the sewing; don't give up on the first attempt!

Daisy.

Don't assume malice for what stupidity can explain.

The do tend to be loose fitting or unfitted in my experience. I think because the concept is to have few pattern pieces and construction details. If something looks like it will be loose fitting on me, I usually buy a size smaller than I normally would. I don't get the "swimming in a tent" look that way.

Maureen

Sylvia wrote:

Re: Vogue Very Easy vs Easy (Maureen=A0Wozniak) I use a lot of Vogue Patterns. From what I can tell, the Very Easy patterns have fewer pieces and fewer details than the Easy Patterns. =A0=A0But that's just a general guideline. I have one blouse pattern that is an "Easy" pattern that was pretty difficult for me. The results were good though and it was a definite learning experience. As soon as I have my sewing room, I'd like to do that pattern again.