How many times have you seen a ready-to-wear garment that you KNEW you could make… if only you had the pattern?
That was certainly my reaction upon seeing this Akris Punto dress, and when I noticed some similarities in Vogue 9022 to the $995.00 dress, I couldn’t resist. True, the pattern is split vertically rather than horizontally, but I was feeling adventurous, and besides, I loved the pockets.
How did I do?
What I really like about the Akris Punto dress is its unstructured but not too oversized nature. I have avoided kimono sleeves because they appear so large, however, Vogue describes this pattern as fitted.
After making the muslin I sewed the dress one size smaller (X-Small). A little tweaking on the sleeves and an adjustment in the back seam gave me the fit I was seeking.
The fabric content of the Akris Punto dress is 52% acetate 48% viscose. My dress is sewn in lightweight wool crepe ordered from Mood Fabrics last year. It is unlined and does not wrinkle or itch. I also used the same fabric in this skirt last year.
I took my daughter’s advice to eliminate the back vent, split the side seams and leave the back longer keeping the dress on trend. 
To color block the sleeves, I traced the upper front and back pattern pieces to pattern paper. Starting at the bottom of the sleeve I split the pattern piece in half but eventually eyeballed it once I came to the underarm curve. How scientific is that?
Afterwards, I added a seam allowance to the new pattern pieces and was quite relieved when all of the pieces matched up in the muslin! If I try this again, I plan to eliminate the upper front seams.
Many thanks to Akris Punto for inspiring me to try a new style, for I would have overlooked the cute Vogue pattern otherwise.
I’m so pleased with the result that I splurged on a new pair shoes but sadly I’m not as warm as I look. I’ll be wearing my dress with black tights and boots for the next several weeks while sewing with warm sunny thoughts in mind!
Until soon 