Monday, July 5, 2010

Butterick 6836

There's just something about wrap dresses that make them irresistible to me, so I was very happy when I stumbled upon this pattern at VintageDressmaking on Etsy at a very favourable price:



The design is significantly similar to that of Butterick 6015, but the construction of Butterick 6836 seems to be a bit better and I think the collar is a great addition. Another plus about the the design of Butterick 6836 compared to many other wrap dresses of the 1950s, is that it doesn't use the usual "pencil skirt with an overskirt"-design, which usually rules out using a crinoline. While I don't tend to wear crinolines, it's always nice to have the option to use one and the design of Butterick 6836 makes the use of crinolines possible. Anywho, here's the results of my attempt at this pattern:



Due to the season I decided to use all cotton. The floral fabric is from Michael Miller Fabrics and it's called China Garden. I found it on sale earlier this year and I'm so happy I bought a couple of yards, it looks particularly beautiful on the back of the dress:



The pattern was pretty straightforward to work with. The only alterations I made were:

Grading the pattern up to a vintage size 14.

Making the shoulders a little narrower.

Taking off a couple of inches in the length of the skirt because the fabric wasn't very wide.

Using bias tape instead of doing a hem, again because the fabric wasn't very wide.

Using four sets of small snaps instead of the two sets of hooks and eyes suggested to fasten the front bodice in the back.

I had some concerns as to whether the front bodice would ride up, but I wore the dress last night and had no problems whatsoever, so using snaps instead of hooks and eyes probably wasn't a bad idea. Another concern was how well my bound buttonholes would turn out; the last time I did bound buttonholes was about 6 years ago, but I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out :)

So... What's up next? Well, seeing as I passed all my exams, I've been planning what contributions I want to make for the Summer Essentials Sew-Along, so stay tuned to see what patterns and fabric I have chosen :)

22 comments:

  1. Awesome! I have this in my stash as well....just need to get the time to get started!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very stunning fabric. Great dress and it looks lovely on you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Gorgeous fabric and the dress suits you very well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow! It's gorgeous. :)

    And congrats on your exams!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you, everyone. Your comments are always so encouraging :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gorgeous - love the red trim!

    ReplyDelete
  7. fabulous + fantastic =

    FABUtastic!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wonderful! I have that in my sewing queue (same view, even!) but am nowhere near it yet...so it's great to see someone else tackle it first and have such a success! great job!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is really lovely with such a beautiful finish!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oooo! I love it! Beautiful style - love the pattern - and the fabric is great : ) Perfect!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow - what a lovely dress, especially at the back like you said. We're in the depths of winter here so it's so nice to see such a pretty sundress.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I LOVE this dress!!! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you so much for your kind words, I'm really flattered :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. That is so beautiful. I love the front with that red trim. Fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
  15. OMG! I WANT that pattern! Let me know if you ever want to part with it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. stonemaven: There's a vintage size 16 of this pattern for sale for $18 here: http://www.woodlandfarmsantiques.com/WFAbeta2/UploadPagesPatternsJAN_10/50s/source/wpt50s29857butter6836.htm

    Considering that this pattern usually costs $40 or more, I'd say that looks like a bargain :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I found it last night on the Butterick site. I spent an hour searching and finally found a mention of a second pattern number. They've reprinted it and it was on sale for under $5!
    Not as cool as owning the original, but still, it comes up to size 22 now.

    ReplyDelete
  18. i would love to know the reprinted number - i have the B4790 but it doesnt have the collar and i would need the larger size. what i can find like yours - well lets just say i havent been that tiny since i was 16 :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I am looking for a copy of this pattern in Uk size 14 if anyone can source one.
    Thanks
    Susy

    ReplyDelete
  20. I am looking for a copy of this pattern in Uk size 14 if anyone can source one.
    Thanks
    Susy

    ReplyDelete