So I fell for this pattern. I love the square demure neckline with the fitted skirt and bodice. I did not know what I was in for (fitting wise) but I was not prepared to make a calico muslin/prototype. So I made it up in a fabric that I had a lot of as a sort of wearable muslin. I am 90% finished making the dress.
Below is how the dress (Butterick 5032) looked after I got rid of all the excess fabric in the skirt. But as you will see it took some time to get to this point…The skirt skims the curves but there is still room for movement there, I could afford to get rid of more but I usually over-fit so I tried not to go over board.
Sorry about all the mess in the picture.
If a comerical pattern was to fit someone exactly out of the envelope I am convinced the wearer would have a minuscule waist, breasts above armpit level and either have hips that are disproportionatley big or insist on an absolutely ridiculous/frumpy amount of wearing ease in a “fitted skirt”.
Or perhaps I am the one with the weird body. I always just thought I had an hour glass shape. But in Butterick world I have an enormous waist and tiny hips.
My hips and bust are exactly the same measurement (envelope says: size 10, size 12) and My waist is a size 14 ( well according to the pattern envelope).
Above is how I amended the skirt. (The red line is where I cut off the pattern and includes seam allowance).
Then after decreasing the size and roundness at the hips and legs I then added a little extra to the waist. I also tapered the skirt in near the hem (so it would look a bit more like the design on the pattern envelope (it has a vent so you can still move easily).
Above is what I added to the waist. I also added 0.5cm to the side seams of the bodice, now I have a bit of ease and I can still wear the post food bloat (sorry if that was too much information).
So pictured above is my biggest grievance, this gaping effect (sorry about the loo in the background btw). Does this happen to anyone else? It seems to happen with all the fitted dresses I make.
Perhaps it’s because the space above chest and just bellow my collar bones is a lot more concave than the average. Or perhaps its just a bad drafting of the pattern.
Anyway I have fixed it on the pattern for future dresses but I don’t think I will worry about it on this one, It was sort of a wearable muslin anyway.
Also I am LOVING… Underlining!
This is the second time I have tried it. You are essentially just making the fabric thicker by basting another fabric to the backside of your fashion fabric (I do this my basting around it with a long stitch on my machine but some people do it by hand-stitching). I underlined the skirt to give it stability but there was another unexpected benefit.
This is the finished hem of my skirt (I kid you not!) Do you see any stitches? Thats because when I used the invisible hem foot on bernie (my bernina) the stitch picked up the underlining fabric only so that so see absolutely no stitching on the right side of the fabric. How brilliant is that?!
Ok so here is what the stitch looks like from the back. I get soo much joy out of this dam stitch and foot (The skin on my hands is all yucky because of the cold weather sorry again)
Also here is the glorious foot I use to to the invisible hem stitch (stitch 7). OK now we have established that I am a sewing geek.
bernie and i 