Thursday, July 5, 2012

Butterick 5641 - Black & white paisley border print dress

My latest creation has the classic fitted bodice/gathered full skirt shape that never seems to go out of style. I used a cotton border print from Gorgeousfabrics.com that has textural dots which you can see in a closer picture. Black piping was sewn onto the neckline and sleeves to add interest and make the "collar" pop.


I was drawn to this pattern because of that "collar" and also because it features separate pattern pieces for the various cup sizes. Well, this pattern is great for the more well endowed, but it does not contain the necessary pattern pieces for an A/B cup. Even though it claims to. The size 10 has a bust circumference of 36". That is NOT A/B size! I had to take a small bust adjustment to the A/B cup pattern pieces in order to get it to fit. I cut a 10 everywhere except at the bust which was tapered down to an 8, and at the waist which was tapered out to a 12. 


My skirt was cut without side seams as I wanted to preserve the scalloped bottom of the black and white paisley. It is also 20" narrower so that the scalloped area met at the correct spot at the center back. As designed it was 80" wide. That is one full skirt! I also decided to attach the skirt at my actual waist and not the dropped waist that the pattern features. This was achieved but cutting 1" off the bottom of all the bodice pieces.


Here you can see the interesting texture of the fabric. I really love to add piping to areas. Little details like that make garments look expensive. The one thing about this pattern that I don't love is how wide the shoulders are. I have to wear a strapless with this dress and the only one I own has gotten too big. A minor quibble.


The pattern calls for lining the bodice only, but I chose to do a full lining since this is a thin cotton and I was worried about see through. Plus the extra layer helps the skirt to have more body. While perusing the cottons at Hancock's, I ran across this high thread-count sheeting that I'd never noticed before. It was super wide and felt incredibly soft, so I decided to get it for the lining. I wish they had other colors so I could use it for any project that needs a cotton lining.


This dress also had a huge amount of hand sewing of the lining: along the waist seam, the zipper seam, the bottom of the collar. I always turn on the TV for this part and just enjoy the monotony.


This dress barely zips up on my dressform as the dressform has gotten too big for me. However, I no longer have to add any ease to things fitted on it so that is kind of a good thing.


Here is the pattern picture. I was making the shorter skirt of view A with that fun bottom tuck, but needed the extra length once I shortened the bodice to waist length and had to omit it.


We spent last weekend and part of this week at lake LBJ, hence my red complexion. Fun was had by all and since the city we stay in is unincorporated, we can legally shoot off our own fireworks. My boys really love that part. I hope all of my American readers had a fun and safe 4th of July.

55 comments:

  1. Your dress is beautiful, the fabric and pattern combination is perfect. I like all your changes, especially the length of bodice change. Great job.

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  2. So pretty and a great use of the border print.

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  3. Amanda - Absolutely stunning - another success! The use of the border print is fantastic!

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  4. Beautiful and beautifully sewn! This is one of my favorites of your dresses. Great fabric and use of the border print.

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  5. What a pretty dress! The piping is an inspired touch, it really makes the dress pop.

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  6. Absolutely breath taking. You did a phenomenal job on this dress. I can't decide what I like better, the way you kept the fabric pattern in tact at the bottom or the piping at the collar. LOVE both. Great job!

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  7. Great dress! The fabric is gorgeous, and I'm definitely keeping that tip about the sheeting in mind for the future. If you wanted, you could probably try dyeing it to match (or at least come close to matching) your fabrics in the future. Though I'll admit that dyeing is a major PITA.

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  8. Wow wow wow. Great work. This is truly beautiful , and worth all of that hand sewing. I could cry from how pretty that border print is.

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  9. You look like a doll in this beautiful dress. It's very high end looking. So pretty.

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  10. Beautiful dress! A perfect marriage of fabric and pattern, especially with your use of piping! Job well done!!!

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  11. That is absolutely gorgeous. I just love the way the border print at the bottom mirrors the neckline. You always do impeccable work and I look forward to your posts.

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  12. What an amazing dress! The construction is beautiful! That's my kind of seamstress!

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  13. How pretty!!! What a LOVELY dress!!!

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  14. Love that dress. The fabric is perfect and your little extra touches add so much!
    Cissie

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  15. If you don't want to wear a strapless bra, you can wear a regular bra and keep the straps in place by sewing the end of small amount of ribbon (or fabric or bias tape) to the inside top of the shoulder on the dress where you want to hold the strap. Sew a small snap to the other end of the ribbon. Sew the other side of the snap to the inside shoulder of the dress. Use your bra strap as a guide to measure how much ribbon and how far away to place the snap. Instead of a snap, you could use a small button hole on the end of the ribbon and a tiny button on the inside of the shoulder. Here are a few links that might be helpful:

    http://sewing.about.com/od/adultclothingprojects/a/brastraphlder.htm

    http://offbeatmama.com/2011/08/how-to-fix-slipping-bra-strap

    You could also crochet a chain stitch instead of using ribbon. Here's a helpful blog post:

    http://designnstyle.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/diy-sew-a-bra-strap-holder-into-your-top/

    (These are not my blogs, just what I found through google.) Beautiful work on the dress! Best wishes!

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  16. Gorgeous! I love how the piping frames the neckline, which is such an elegant shape on you - totally worth tolerating the bra issue!

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  17. This is Beautiful!!! I just love your work! I want one now. I gotta stop reading sewing blogs, they just fuel my already out of control addiction!

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  18. What a lovely, lovely dress! And the piping certainly does set off the details beautifully. I was going to mention the possible use of strap keepers in lieu of wearing a strapless bra, but I see that someone has already beat me to it, with very helpful links to instructions.

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  19. What great lines. I never would have paid attention to this dress before. The neckline is great and the piping really does make it pop.

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  20. Absolutely beautiful dress! So much attention to detail, and it shows with how beautiful your clothes turn out every time! It seems like it would be comfortable for summer, but as a fellow Texan I know how it's possible to feel uncomfortably hot in anything!

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  21. A fit andflare dress is so classic.I especially love the feminine details of the neckline and fabric choice of yours. It is a lovely dress and perfect fit, Amanda!

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  22. How cute!!! I wish I could wear that silhouette!

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  23. Gorgeous dress. I love everything about it - the fabric, the pattern, the piping, the fit. All elements are spot on.

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  24. Beautiful dress and as always beautifully sewn.

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  25. This is so beautiful! Gorgeous fabric, and you really made most of the pattern - the cover images look boring compared to your dress. LOVE the border print, the neckline and piping.

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  26. I'm always in awe of how the inside of your garments are just as beautiful as the outside. Beautiful dress.

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  27. I love the clean look of a completely lined dress - and yours is gorgeous! I would buy up big in that lining fabric and dye it to suit what ever colour you're after perhaps? I've used Dylon dyes with success before, and they don't leave any residue in your washing machine :)

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  28. This reminds me of the new Erdem Spring 2012 collection - very on trend!

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  29. Another gorgeous creation from you! Perfect fabric choice, details, and finishing!

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  30. You have a wonderful eye for print and design. I admire your detailing and finishing skills.

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  31. ThiS is lovely! Great fabric and perfect pattern. Beautifully made as usual

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  32. Wow, what a beautiful dress! It looks so great on you, and the pop of red in the pattern looks so good :-)
    Love it!

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  33. Vas guapisima!!. Te ha quedado un vestido precioso y te queda genial.Me das mucha envidia!!. Y muy bien cosido!!
    Besitos

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  34. This is just so beautiful. I love the width in the shoulders - it looks very special and bra strap holders would fix that up for you. The piping sets it off and that border print is just divine.

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  35. What a lovely dress. Yours is prettier than the pattern envelope. The piping looks terrific.

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  36. This is a very, very pretty dress! That fabric is amazing. Beautiful!

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  37. What a beautiful job you have done on this dress. The print was a spectacular choice for the pattern and looks amazing on you! It's so funny, I have had this same dress cut out on my sewing shelf for over a year now, I think. Seeing yours finished makes me want to get back at it. I think the finished bust measurements threw me off, and wondering how wide the neckline was. You answered both questions. Thanks!

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  38. Wow, this dress is gorgeous - and looks fabulous on you! This fabric is wonderful (I love the combination of the graphic b&w paisley with the colourful floral), and the piping you added finishes, defines and balances the top part of the dress perfectly. I was going to suggest dyeing the sheeting for lining too, but I see others have already mentioned it (and I've never done this myself, despite having some lovely white cotton batiste that was bought for this purpose....)

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  39. That's gorgeous! Your work is just beautiful. I love when the inside of a dress is a beautiful as the outside! =)

    Kristina J.

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  40. looks like buying a serger instead of that huge dressform would had been a better investment as now you can't even use it.

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  41. Oh perfect combination of print and pattern, I love it!

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  42. This dress is so pretty, Amanda! Your changes to the pattern are very flattering, and I really love the wide neckline/shoulders too!

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  43. Such a lovely dresse on a lovely girl. The little details add so much to your creation.

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  44. I would never have seen that gorgeous, classy dress in the dated line drawing. Good eye! Love the piping and the fit is impeccable.

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  45. The piping is fantastic and so is the dress. I think the skirt fullness is just right how you have it. Well done!

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  46. So vintage! Beautiful use of the border print too. I've missed your posts this year, so it's wonderful to see what you've been up to lately! :)

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  47. i love this on you. you too have the ability to select just the right fabric for the job. excellent. keep up the fantastic blog!

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  48. Oh, I really love this one! So lovely!!

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  49. I love this dress! the fabric is so perfect for it - you look very pretty in it.

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  50. Absolutely gorgeous! So feminine and flattering and perfectly made.

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