THE Dress - Butterick 4790

[crwritt]

hi ladies,

i have this pattern and have bought some cheap (ish!) cotton to make this dress. my original plan is to make a mock up first then get some fabric i really like to make it with.

i am a relative newbie to this sewing malarkey having only made a couple of skirts and easy things, so i am nervous! can anyone give me any dummy-proof pointers about sizing? my waist is 2 sizes smaller than my bust and hips so i was planning on doing the larger size then winging it tbh with the darts!

any useful pointers from you seasoned sewers?

You might consider a different pattern if you want to end up with a dress you'll be happy to wear. Look for something with a circular skirt and fitted bodice if you want a 50's look.

 

[Grant Fan]

I have 3 of these I have made here are two of them one of them is the exact same at the blue gingham with red trim one on the pattern envelope.
This is the first dress I made this picture is a bit blurry but it a blue and green ocean scape with koy fish and the inside is gold tone on tone flowers.

And I made this earlier today

 

[crwritt]

I have 3 of these I have made here are two of them one of them is the exact same at the blue gingham with red trim one on the pattern envelope.
This is the first dress I made this picture is a bit blurry but it a blue and green ocean scape with koy fish and the inside is gold tone on tone flowers.

And I made this earlier today

Just beautiful,Grant fan! I see that you have made them very tight in the waist, and they fit you very well. Do you have any trouble with the front riding up?

 

[Grant Fan]

Just beautiful,Grant fan! I see that you have made them very tight in the waist, and they fit you very well. Do you have any trouble with the front riding up?

I do like them tight in the waist, I feel like they are on more securely that way , as for the front I have a lot of trouble with the yellow one but I just wiggle it down and move on. I just made the purple one so I am not sure yet with it. But part of my problem err well not problem but what caused the issue is that I have a 27 inch waist and 45 inch hips, I have a very extreme hourglass shape. So because the front panel fastens around the waist it gets to deal with the wiggle factor of my hips. But such i life with such extreme measurements in such a small area.

 

[crwritt]

I do like they tight in the waist, I feel like they are on more securely that way , as for the front I have a lot of trouble with the yellow one but I just wiggle it down and move on. I just made the purple one so I am not sure yet with it. But part of my problem err well not problem but what caused the issue is that I have a 27 inch waist and 45 inch hips, I have a very extreme hourglass shape. So because the front panel fastens around the waist it gets to deal with the wiggle factor of my hips. But such i life with such extreme measurements in such a small area.

That hourglass shape is what makes these look so good on you. Those of us with a bigger waist vs hips (in my case 36 waist, 42 hip) just don't model these full skirts as well.

 

[Grant Fan]

That hourglass shape is what makes these look so good on you. Those of us with a bigger waist vs hips (in my case 36 waist, 42 hip) just don't model these full skirts as well.

Oh I am not complaining I love it, but I think that is why I have a problem with the panel on my yellow one.

 

[deadpandiva]

Oh I am not complaining I love it, but I think that is why I have a problem with the panel on my yellow one.

I have 28 inch waist and 43 or 44 inch hips and mine didn't look nearly that good on me. lol

 

[hailey greenhat]

Re: Riding up problem

Has anyone tried hooks and eyes fastened inside to "catch" it from riding up? It just occurred to me b/c a vintage skirt i bought had hooks sewed along the inside of the waistband i imagine to keep a matching blouse in place.

 

[Grant Fan]

deadpan I am sure yours look just as good.
Hailey that is a great idea

 

[Jasmine Jolene]

ok i finished mine! i have no photos as yet, but will post soon.

all in all, i am really really please. i wore this dress for work on Friday and had none of the problems other ladies seem to have had - no bunching, no riding up, no dragging down etc. the biggest problem was the wind making it fly up!

i did have to make some alterations to the pattern as although i cut it for my measurements it was at least 4 inches too big.

i haven't yet put the fasteners on, so it was finished with safety pins - i am trying to get the nerve to put button holes in as i think it will suit the overrall look better!

 

[Grant Fan]

ok i finished mine! i have no photos as yet, but will post soon.

all in all, i am really really please. i wore this dress for work on Friday and had none of the problems other ladies seem to have had - no bunching, no riding up, no dragging down etc. the biggest problem was the wind making it fly up!

i did have to make some alterations to the pattern as although i cut it for my measurements it was at least 4 inches too big.

i haven't yet put the fasteners on, so it was finished with safety pins - i am trying to get the nerve to put button holes in as i think it will suit the overrall look better!

Jasmine Jolene You can make button looks with the bias tape, if you look at the purple dress I made that is what i did. I works very well for me. I you would like I can take pictures of the loops for you. I works just as well as button holes but you it doesn't require the same amount of nerve.

 

[Voodoo Kitten]

I made button loops with bias tape on mine as well.

 

[Smuterella]

Has anyone tried hooks and eyes fastened inside to "catch" it from riding up? It just occurred to me b/c a vintage skirt i bought had hooks sewed along the inside of the waistband i imagine to keep a matching blouse in place.

ooh, I may have to sew hooks and eyes onto all my blouses / trousers now as I constantly have a problem with this, even with highwaisted skirts and trousers.

 

[Jasmine Jolene]

thanks Grant Fan and Voodoo Kitten.

my plan was to just do the button loops like on the pattern, i however cut the fabric too big and even when i trimmed it, it still wraps over by about an inch at the front. i think it will look weird if i do the button loops now - they'll be really off centre.

for some reason i can never get hooks and eyes right and the press studs i bought are not strong enough - i did sew them on but when i bend down, they snap open! lol

i've got plenty of fabric left over so i'm going to have a go tonight at making button holes.

 

[aylsarose]

Finished results

Then I had enough material left over so made my daughter a dress.

 

[Rockapin-up]

Grant Fan and Alysarose, beautiful dresses im so jealous. Oh and your daughter is soooo adorable in her matching dress Alysarose.

 

[GoddessMama]

Ok I am so jealous at how nice everyones dresses are turning out I went and bought my self a new pattern today (the last one was thrown out in a fit of rage and disgust at why such a simple pattern could look so beastly on me ) JoAnn's had Butterick patterns on sale right now for 99 cents so I couldn't pass that up! I'm going to finish another dress that I a working on right now and then give it a go again.

PS I got 5 retro patterns all for 99 cents, you must go to JoAnn's!

 

[Jasmine Jolene]

well, couldn't for the life of me figure out how to make button holes so just used the bias binding. is quite folded over as too big, but when i wore it out last night two women chased me down the road to ask me where i got my beautiful dress so i'm not too worried about it!! lol

now just need to figure out how to post pics here so you can all give me your opinions

 

[buddy5909]

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I'm still learning how to sew so, I had this made for me. Since I've had a kid it fits a little tight so I'm going to have to fix it a bit. Haven't worn it out yet.

 

[NicoleAnn]

AH i LOVE this dress. although it took me about as long to do this one as others took, i felt like i wasn't slaving over it. I wanna make more. here's mine, im also going to help my mom make one for herself so ill post that on when we do

you can see my little baby kitten and my mom's dog