THE Dress - Butterick 4790

[Ada Veen]

ooh, I love the Butterick 4790! Maybe I'll even wear mine tonight.

 

[sian kisses]

i would really like to make one is it easy? and where can i get the pattern.

xx

 

[dollydaydream]

<--- has the pattern

I've only looked at it but the binding puts me off a bit. But other than that it looks pretty easy. I'll bring it down with me, in what is going to be a ridiculously sized bag the way I'm going lol

 

[sian kisses]

will you help me fabric cut and make it....
or you could just make it hehe....
xx

 

[dollydaydream]

I'll make it if you choose some fabric yea

 

[artful dodgette]

you're all making me want to make one! i may make the underskirt into a tight pencil skirt though...

 

[dollydaydream]

That's what I was thinking of doing, well, at least putting fastenings right down the back so it doesn't pull forward. No idea what it would turn out like

 

[artful dodgette]

yeah i think it'd work, or you could sew a piece on the back that snaps to the side of the front piece? if that make s sense!?

off topic....

in john willies Bizzarre magazines theres a whole section on tight skirts, and some of the tailoring ideas are genious! i'll have to scan it in!

 

[Lady Day]

I found an original printing of the pattern for sale, if anyone is interested

LD

 

[kerry]

I love this pattern. I actually contacted Butterick on this pattern they said they didnt make it anymore however I was lucky to find it in their re-release section called Retro. I have got the pattern but I havent started to work on it yet.
I would make a few changes though cause I dont wear sleeveless so I will be adding 3/4" sleeves to keep with the look and cover my arms. wish me luck

Oh please let mwe know how you get on adding the sleeves. I love this dress but dont do sleeveless either so I would be really interested
Kerry x

 

[Darhling]

you're all making me want to make one! i may make the underskirt into a tight pencil skirt though...

thats what i would do! And perhaps the outer skirt I would use a different fabric, perhaps chiffon or something else flowy and sheer.

 

[Josephine]

I found an original printing of the pattern for sale, if anyone is interested

LD

Is that $49.00?!?!

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Is that $49.00?!?!

hehe....you havent looked at patterns on Vintage Martini then....

 

[kamikat]

Is that $49.00?!?!

That's ridiculous! That pattern frequently shows up on eBay and never goes for more than $20. It was their most popular pattern for many years and there are tons of them out there. If you're willing to wait, search, you can find it much cheaper.

 

[Josephine]

That's ridiculous! That pattern frequently shows up on eBay and never goes for more than $20. It was their most popular pattern for many years and there are tons of them out there. If you're willing to wait, search, you can find it much cheaper.

I got a reissue for less than $3.00! Good Grief, especially for something you're going to cut up....

 

[Anwen]

DimeADanceQueen: Pretty! Would it be possible to see the high heels up close? I like those prints with shoes, or hats, or dresses, or fashionable women strolling all along the length.

DressADay just put up a vintage photo from a book, showing the Walk-Away Dress. The book even recommended making it from two old dresses. Makes sense, if you think about it.

That's fabulous! I have a dress that I bought for £1 from a charity shop which is juuuuuuust too small, the buttons over the bust gap a little and the bottom two buttons (the skirt's about mid calf on me) have got sort of ripped a bit when I've been sitting funny with my legs wrapped under me. It has a lovely full skirt, though, which I bet would work well for being converted into something like the walkaway dress, I suppose the thing to do would be to make a replacement bodice and front-skirt-piece, and adapt the skirt of my dress to be the overskirt...

 

[KittyVonKirsche]

I just bought this pattern today and Im soo thrilled to find this post. Ive never sewn a thing in my life so thankyou ladies for all the little snippets of info in here. Im going to make sure I take notes b4 I get started.

Can I just ask, is the skirt roomy enough for a crinoline? or at least a flouncy petticoat? Its just I have a bit of a belly (understatement lol) n Im worried about the underskirt sitting flat on it, I want to give it a bit of volume. Sorry if someones already mentioned that, Ive not had a chance to read the whole post yet.

 

[cailinbeag]

I made this dress about two years ago, and love it. I found its' reputation as the "walk-away dress" a bit misleading, though. The pattern is simple enough, but there's a lot of hemming in the outer skirt. I made it with a stretch cotton sateen that worked really well. The bodice fit beautifully. The waist was a bit large, but I suspect it was due to the slight stretch to the material. Overall, it's super cute and I would make it again.

 

[pixie]

I am sorry to say, but this is not a simple pattern to make at all. i am about a size 20/2x and bought the largest size of this pattern which is supposed to go to a size 22!! I have a friend who is a very good sewer and even she hates this pattern, the only part that we did not have to change and change and change was the skirt. I bought old sheets from value village to make an adjusted pattern out of and thank goodness I did. We had to redo the upper part that connects on the back to the skirt about 3 times. not to mention how huge the arm holes are on the front of the pattern, gah!!! :rage: We soldiered on and have almost finished the first of 2 dresses that I am trying to make to wear for Viva las vegas weekend. I am hoping to have them both done in time eep wish me luck.

 

[cailinbeag]

I am sorry to say, but this is not a simple pattern to make at all. i am about a size 20/2x and bought the largest size of this pattern which is supposed to go to a size 22!! I have a friend who is a very good sewer and even she hates this pattern, the only part that we did not have to change and change and change was the skirt. I bought old sheets from value village to make an adjusted pattern out of and thank goodness I did. We had to redo the upper part that connects on the back to the skirt about 3 times. not to mention how huge the arm holes are on the front of the pattern, gah!!! :rage: We soldiered on and have almost finished the first of 2 dresses that I am trying to make to wear for Viva las vegas weekend. I am hoping to have them both done in time eep wish me luck.

I'm sorry you've been struggling with the pattern. I've had projects like that, and they're a real pain. I don't know that it'll help you right now but for the future, I'd like to suggest you ignore the sizing and use patterns based on your personal measurements. Pattern sizes and retail sizes DO NOT coincide.

I hope you have a great time at VLV! I'd love to go one year.