Butterick: 5814 (Misses Dress)  - Type:Dresses  | | Viewed 601 times
| 4 more reviews | Review rated Helpful by 1 people Very Helpful by 10 people | | Reviewed by: | froggiegirl | 
 | About froggiegirl | | PA USA | | Member since: 5/23/09 | | Reviews written: 57 | | Sewing skills:Intermediate | | Favored by: 17 people | | patterns reviewed: 55 | | Bio: more... |
| | Posted on: | 2/13/13 9:05 AM | | Last Updated: | 2/13/13 9:08 AM | | Project Photo: |  | | Pattern Photo: | 
Butterick Pattern Info | | Pattern Rating: | Difficult, but great for Advanced Sewers | | See other patterns in this category: Dresses | Available for sale on PR: $14.96 (See envelope)  | | | | Fabric: | Silk [See other projects in this fabric] | | Related Links | Click on  to add a link |
| Pattern Description:
Dress has close-fitting, lined, boned bodice with right front pleats, inset, pleated drapes, waist stay, semi-fitted, underlined skirt, as left front pleats, lined sleeves, invisible back zipper and slit.
Pattern Sizing:
6-22 - My version is a combination of a 16 on top and 18 on the bottom.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, I made no style changes to this dress and both the picture and drawing on the envelope are accurate.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
For the most part the instructions were good. The the constructions is fairly straight forward and there were no head scratching moments. There were two areas where I felt the directions were a little vague, the boning insertion and the waist stay. It was the first time I'd ever done either of these things and I needed a little more detail.
For the boning I rewatched Gertie's bombshell dress craftsy class. Her boning insertion chapter was very clear and I was able to apply those steps to this pattern.
For the waist stay, I read this Gorgeous fabrics blog post. It's important to note that the butterick instructions do not tell you that that waist stay should be your waist measurement. They just assume that you've made no changes to the pattern and should use the cutting guide provided. If I'd done that my waist stay would have been way too lose and then of no use.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I pretty much love everything about this dress. Originally I thought the drape was a little odd but it grew on me and I love it now.
All the hand sewing on this pattern does make it a giant slog to finish. There was a time where I was smacking myself for deciding to make this but in the end it was worth it.
Fabric Used:
Stashed silk crepe de chine from gorgeous fabrics for both the self and lining.
Fashion sewing supply tricot fusible to increase the weight of the self fabric.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Fitting changes
1. Made all the sleeve changes Gertie blogged about. Also reduced the diameter of the sleeve by 3/8" so that it had a snugger fit.
2. Made several changes to the bodice to eliminate some gaping. I blogged about them here.
3. Shaved about an 1/8 off of the side seams through out the garment.
4. Reduced the CB seam 2" right at the waist seam for my sway back. This change was graded out to nothing as I needed the extra ease across the hips.
Construction changes.
1. Added stay tape to the neckline of all the bodice pieces.
2. Used spiral steel boning because featherweight can not take the weight of my bust.
3. Added some overlocking to the skirt edges. I suppose the underlining would have kept the fabric from unraveling but it concerned me.
4. I did a little extra hand sewing on the inside, catching the CB seam allowance to the underlining. Thought it made the inside neater and easier to pull up the zipper.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I wouldn't sew it again only because as a SAHM a closet full of cocktail dresses is the last thing I need.  I'd recommend the pattern to others who want an pretty dress with a retro feel. It is a time consuming project but entirely doable for someone with intermediate skills.
Conclusion:
I blogged extensively about this particular project. All the posts are tagged with Butterick-5814 if you're interested in seeing the whole process. | Buy this pattern for $14.96 List Price: $19.95 Add to Bag  |
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15 Comments
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Beautiful dress! It looks smashing on you. Thanks for the thorough review.
2/13/13 9:29 AM
Great review, great dress and great job as always!
2/13/13 9:39 AM
Thanks for the link to that waist stay explanation, and for this review.
2/13/13 10:01 AM
Great dress! Plenty of va va voom working here! Love it!
2/13/13 10:04 AM
Lovely dress. Thanks for all the additional information.
2/13/13 10:59 AM
This is certainly a well-chronicled sewing adventure! Thanks for the review--you look fabulous in the dress. This calls for a special outing--Valentine's Day dinner, perhaps?
2/13/13 11:58 AM
Fabulous!!
2/13/13 3:27 PM
Thanks so much for all your kind comments. They make taking on a big project like this that much better.
2/13/13 3:44 PM
Beautiful fabric. Your dress looks great.
2/13/13 9:20 PM
Pretty, pretty on you! Very nice!
2/13/13 9:43 PM
Absolutely gorgeous dress! The fabric is amazing and your sewing is stunning.
2/14/13 8:18 AM
Every mom needs at least one fabulous cocktail dress in her closet. It's beautiful. Thanks for sharing your process with us.
2/14/13 9:45 AM
Lovely dress - and beautiful styling :)
2/15/13 6:28 AM
Great job! I LOVE your fabric! Where is it from?
3/10/13 2:58 PM
jssca85- I purchased the fabric from gorgeousfabrics.com last year. It's a milly print, she gets them in from time to time. :)
3/10/13 6:09 PM