Butterick 5457, View E

Butterick 5457, View E

Pattern Description:

Pattern Description: Fully-lined special occasion dresses with pleated bodice and midriff and skirt variations. All views have a fitted bodice with boning and back zipper closure, View B has a contrast midriff and View C has a contrast bodice. The gathered skirt falls about 2" above mid-knee, View D has a contrast underdress and View E has a “bubble” hem.

Pattern Sizing:

6-8-10-12

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Due to the design changes the finished project was not an exact replica of the illustration on the pattern envelope but, it does closely resemble the illustration.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

I didn’t notice any “glitches” in the instructions.  They were straight-forward and easy to follow however, I didn’t follow the pattern instructions verbatim--I rarely do. For the zipper I used an invisible zipper not the centered/topstitched standard zipper called for in the pattern instructions and I completely assembled and attached the lining as the final step before the finishing touches (in the instructions the lining is assembled and attached in a “piecemeal” fashion). After attaching the lining there was a tiny bit of hand sewing needed to complete the dress.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

Likes: I liked the design silhouette and the skirt variations.

Dislikes: The pattern seems to run large and the sweetheart neckline on the pattern piece is not as well-defined as the pattern illustration.

Fabric Used:

The fabrics used were: “dull” satin, organdy, and lining (all 100% polyester) purchased at Hancock Fabrics. The organdy was used as an overlay for the spaghetti straps, midriff and “bubble” skirt. All of the fabrics are from the “bff” collection by Lauren Hancock and the satin was an absolute dream to sew with, it’s very soft and not too slippery. The organdy left lots of “whiskers” everywhere.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

Alterations: I removed a total of 4” from the bodice at the side seams and shortened the skirt length by 1-1/2”.

Design changes: DD did not like the pleated bodice on the muslin and she wanted the sweetheart neckline and midriff piece re-shaped. I folded the pleats and taped them close and re-shaped the neckline to draft a new pattern tissue for the bodice. Also, I removed ½” from the lower edge of the bodice piece at center front (the piece is cut on the fold) and gradually blended back into the original design line using a French curve. I drafted a new pattern tissue for the midriff by raising the upper edge design line ½” at center front (the piece is cut on the fold) and blending back into the original design line on this piece as well. DD wanted spaghetti straps added with a decorative knot detail that she saw in the April/May, 2011 issue of Vogue sewing magazine.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, I would sew it again and I do recommend it to others with the following warning: check the fit of the bodice before permanently closing the seams because the pattern runs large.

Conclusion:  The dress is gorgeous and I liked working with special occasion fabrics for the first time in a long time.  I really loved the finished project and DD was very pleased.