Friday, November 25, 2016

Butterick 6409 - Black + white geometric print dress in wool rayon

I am currently on the hunt for thicker-weight fabrics with draping properties to make winter dresses out of. This Marc Jacobs border print wool-rayon woven from Mood Fabrics caught my eye because I know rayon fabrics to have a great amount of drape and combined with wool I thought it would be perfect for winter. Also border print fabrics are fun to work with. I used Butterick 6409 for the pattern and made a few minor tweaks.


There are lots of ways to use this fabric creatively because it has a thick border on one side and a thinner one on the other. It also has areas of plain black along the selvages. I used the top half of the thick border for the bottom of my dress and the very bottom of the thick border for the sleeve cuffs. With the smaller border I made a belt.


This stuff sewed and pressed like a dream. It really is the perfect weight for winter, especially if you want to forgo a lining. If Mood had other patterns or colors I would snap them up in a heartbeat. The color is kind of a dusty black and can look like a midnight navy in certain lighting.


I cut a size small for this dress and I'm typically a 12 in big 4 woven patterns. The fit is perfect - not too much fabric through the bust with a bit of ease in the shoulders. I also really like the sleeves. Sometimes these types of sleeves have too much fabric in them but these have just the right amount. I left off the button and lapping cuff. That's just extra work when the cuffs fit easily over my hands.


This design relies on a drawstring for its shaping through the body but I find those to be kind of a pain and take too much re-adjusting throughout the day. Instead I used the casing pattern piece and made an elastic waist.

Dressform pictures:





I planned to wear a belt with it but I tried on every belt in my closet and didn't like any of them. I then thought I might add the tie back in to the front but I never need bulky stuff going on around my middle. Somewhere along the line the idea to make a fabric belt popped into my mind and I LOVE how it turned out. Now I want to make fabric belts for everything.


I used french seams throughout because they're pretty and there weren't that many construction joints anyway. The hem I did by hand as I usually do. The stitches for that completely sunk into the fabric so I decided to secure the neck facing by hand instead of top-stitching it down.




I love to wear these types of dresses in my day-to-day life and am thrilled with this new addition to my closet. When it gets a little cooler I'll pair it with tights and flats and be perfectly warm.


Note: The fabric used in this post was purchased with my Mood Fabrics monthly allowance, as part of my participation in the Mood Sewing Network.

36 comments:

  1. Lovely. And I really like the colourful shoes with it. The belt is perfect and it has given me an idea for a dress I am working on!

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  2. Beautiful dress, I love your fabric choice..

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  3. Fantastic dress and wow, wool rayon sounds like the perfect woven fabric blend. Your belt worked out wonderfully and so much nicer than just an elastic waist.

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    1. Thanks Jane! I knew I couldn't leave it with just the elastic casing showing. If the fabric belt hadn't worked out I would have had to buy one that would.

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  4. Gorgeous dress! Love the fabric belt!

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  5. Beautiful! Makes me want to buy that fabric and try it myself! The fabric belt was a great idea, as was replacing the drawstring with elastic. Your blog is always so inspiring!

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    1. You should! It's not very expensive fabric, and would serve you well in the Florida winter. Thanks Lisa!

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  6. Lovely as usual! I think this is so smart for winter. I learn something every time you post!

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  7. I love how you used the border print. The belt turned out great and is a nice touch.

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  8. Super dress, your belt is genius, no flappy tie ends it just sits neatly. It looks great on and the fabric is so lovely.

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    1. Thank you Lynsey! Now I want fabric belts on everything LOL.

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  9. Oh WOW Amanda, your dress looks GREAT!! I just love it! It is beautiful inside and out! The belt is great too! I have made some belts with elastic and sliders. Also love the red shoes too.

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  10. This dress looks amazing on you. I'm always looking for warmer winter fabrics that look good. I bet it's very comfortable. Oh and I love your fabric belt!

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    1. Thanks Nayla! It is very comfortable - not itchy in the least. Time will tell if it's warm though I wasn't too hot taking the pictures so it might not be.

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  11. Love this dress and the way you used the different borders. Beautiful!

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  12. Love your dress and your fine finishing. Is there any chance you could do a tutorial on how you complete your French seam on your sleeve armsyce? Thanks.

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    1. Good idea! The next time I use the technique I'll try to remember to do one. Thanks Roseann!

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  13. Lovely dress Amanda!! Your belt is perfect with it.

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  14. Your garments always look like they come from a designer line - perfectly fit, flattering styles, great fabrics, beautifully crafted. This dress is lovely, and the belt is a stroke of genius. Honestly, I wish I owned your whole wardrobe. Cindy (Creative Hormone Rush)

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  15. do you just know your sizing so well that you can make french seams from jump? for some reason i have it in my head that you don't often muslin. i could be making that up though.

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    1. For fitted stuff I definitely muslin, but since this dress was looser fitting I didn't. There was no waist seam, so I didn't have to worry about it being short waisted which is something I regularly correct for. I always look at the printed measurements and the small was the closest to my measurements with some extra for ease.

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  16. So pretty! I love how you've used the borders.

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  17. Love your dress. By the way have you stopped linking to other sewing bloggers, I miss this feature of your blog.

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    1. Oh no! I just moved it all over to Bloglovin' to clean up my sidebar a little. I didn't know anyone besides me actually used it. Sorry!

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