Monday, June 21, 2010

Butterick 6063 (frankensteined)

I had a little time between exams to have a go at this lovely pattern that I bought from Midvale Cottage on Etsy a few months ago:



The fabric was thrifted and I only had 1.5 meters of it, so I decided to use the pencil skirt pattern from Simplicity 1412 instead:



I must say I'm really pleased with how the fusion of these two patterns turned out. While the blue spinlon fabric is quite thick, it is nowhere near as thick as the cotton I used for my first attempt at Simplicity 1412, so I decided to do the kick pleat originally suggested for the pencil skirt:



You might notice that there's a couple of dark horizontal stripes across the back of the skirt. They fit with how the fabric was folded when I found it and I suspect them to be related to age (the fabric is most likely from the 1960s) as well as poor storage conditions, such as too much exposure to sunlight and/or uneven temperatures. I don't mind them much as they are only on the back of the skirt, but I would still be happy to get rid of them. Anybody have any suggestions? :)
All in all, Butterick 6063 was a pretty straightforward pattern to make and I'm really pleased with the results. Seeing as the size is a vintage size 12, I had to add 2 inches in the body to bring it up to a vintage size 14; this was achieved by adding an inch down the middle of the back and a half an inch to each of the side seams of the front bodice. Sewing wise, the only really tricky bit was attaching the collar to the lapel, which I decided to do by hand for the most part.
This past weekend me and my boyfriend went to the Bedrock Weekend, an annual rockabilly event in Denmark. I got some very flattering compliments about the dress from some gals who were surprised that it was homemade. It even caused a few wolf whistles, too!

While the bodice pattern calls for buttonholes, I cheated and went with snaps instead, because I haven't done bound buttonholes for like 6 years and I didn't want to risk ruining the fabric with my clumsiness. I did, however, sew on these fabulous vintage 1950s plastic buttons from rakubuttons on Etsy for detail:



The exam season is coming to an end for me and supposing all goes well, I'll be able to sew more frequently and thus present you with more frequent blog posts. I've signed up for the Summer Essentials Sew-Along and I already have several summery projects lined up :)

14 comments:

  1. This is really cute! I love the color and the fit is great.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I saw a dress just like that on Etsy! I love your version, I would wear it all the time. And yay for snaps. I'm using some on sailor shorts because I hate making buttonholes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That dress is completely fabulous! You did a fantastic job!

    ReplyDelete
  4. wonderful results, the blue is a fabulous colour and works so well well with this style. Congrats.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gorgeous results! Such a smart, chic number - very clever to substitute the pencil skirt for the flared skirt - just what a thrifty 50s seamstress would do. And what a beautiful blue. I had to really hunt for the lines in the fabric that you refer to being in the back - so subtle, you don't have to worry about those. And what awesome buttons!! I love them. Such a winning dress, definitely those wolf whistles are deserved. ;D

    ReplyDelete
  6. I absolutely love this dress, I prefer the pencil skirt myself and would not consider it a compromise on the style, but an improvement. Gosh you have such a tiny waist, most jealous!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love this dress! great job with the Frankenpatterning. The pencil skirt is a great addition.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Fabulous! It looks gorgeous on you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very, very pretty. Excellent fabric choice (this is where I keep falling down) and the pencil skirt is a sleek and sexy improvement. Love the button-front design!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you so much, everyone. Kind words are always such a great motivation to keep sewing :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello - just found you and your gorgeous dress on SewRetro. This looks amazing! I've been thinking of making a dress in sapphire blue for a while and you've convinced me it's an ace idea. Thanks! Lexi.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Totally lovely! Fantastic color and I love love the top.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ooh - this is gorgeous - love the angled design of the top, and I too like the pencil skirt version.

    ReplyDelete
  14. SO nice to see the old buttons being used right exactly where they were meant to be.
    I envy your sewing skills. It must be fun to have a great canvas and the talent to decorate it!
    Thanks for showing me,
    Lynn a.k.a. rakubuttons

    ReplyDelete