Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Fitted Dress - Butterick 5382

I finished this dress at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning. I was in the Women’s Day Choir on Sunday and everyone was supposed to wear brown. Staying true to myself (In other words, waiting until the last minute) I began cutting out the dress at around 10:00 p.m. To further complicate matters I couldn’t get my dark fabric marking pen to work, so I had to use the one for light colored clothes. Needless to say, it was hard for me to find the markings for the darts and pleats so it took me a little longer than I anticipated. Anyway…here’s my review.





Rating: Intermediate Beginner

Description: Straight, fitted dress, mid-knee, has front pleats, raised waist seam, self-faced cap sleeves and back zipper.
Did it look like the photo/drawing once you were done? Yes. However, the fabric that I used, (stretch suede) did not have as much stretch as I thought it did so the dress was a bit more “fitted” than I would have liked.  (Click here for the pattern photo.)
Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were very easy to follow. Although the pleats look difficult to make they are actually very simple!
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I loved the shape of the dress and the empire waist styling.

Alterations/Design Changes? No alterations, but hindsight (literally) is 20/20! I should have reduced the seams to ¼ inch to give myself a bit more room, but hey, I was in a hurry and I was VERY sleepy.

Would you make it again? I will probably make this dress again, in another color and fabric for winter. I like the style and could easily pair it with a jacket.

Would you recommend it to others? If they like fitted dresses I suggest they give it a try!

Conclusion: This was an easy, last minute sewing project!