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| Butterick B5920 |
However this pattern needed some modifications to replicate my vision....
I really like the neckline on this pattern and the front gathers that don't extend around the hips - uh-hm I don't need to make them any bigger than they are! I wanted the front placket to extend the full length of the skirt so I could wear it unbuttoned to just above the knee. I also wanted the back of the skirt to replicated the front by having gathers that didn't extend to the side seam, rather than the full skirt the pattern provides.
I'm pretty happy with the final look ... that neckline is just so pretty!
Why BLACK??? The February challenge over at The Monthly Stitch was solid colours, and of course it had a twist. Miss Bossy said we had to use a colour that the initials of our first name or last name matched to in the colour chart and both my initials matched to black!
I had this black voile in my stash that has a checkered pattern running through it, also in black but not so obvious in the photos. I picked it up at the Arthur Toye closing down sale for just $5p/m. I had 2.3m which wasn't quite enough, so had to use some solid black voile (from the stash) for the facing and the arm bindings.
Lengthening and manipulating the skirt was pretty easy ... I look the skirt pieces from the Ama Dress as a template (the length and fullness have made that dress a real pleasure to wear). I kept the shaping at the hips in the original Butterick pattern piece and transferred this to the back pattern piece as well. The gathers at the back were a bit of a guess and in the end I just used the width of the Ama Dress back pattern piece - I measured the front pattern piece to know how far away from the side seam to begin the gathers.
To finish I hammered on some antique brass snaps and to add some colour I wear it with my orange Jenna Cardi.
As we move into Autumn this is the perfect transition dress.
More photos on my Flickr -->
I so love this dress! That neckline is stunning. Love your alterations as well - it's not a pattern I would have guessed you'd own, but you've totally Sandra-ised it to your style. :-)
ReplyDeleteI can't even remember why I bought this pattern and while I knew the skirt wasn't something I would wear I was completely taken by the bodice and the effect of the sheer over the slip. Before the maxi I was thinking about making a shirt with a peplum which I will probably still do :-)
DeleteGorgeous. I also adore that neckline, and all of the small changes you've made. And that it's in classic black. I may not thank you for reminding me of the Ama and it's divine back... ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks :-) I was worried about a black maxi and how that might consume me, but I think the short sleeve and the front opening balance it out. Oh yes, the Ama would look great on you.
DeleteWow, your dress turned out very chic! I love the drama of the full-length skirt and neckline combined with the shirt dress details.
ReplyDeleteThanks :-) I caught my reflection in the window as I was walking the other day and didn't realise how much the skirt kinda billowed behind, so definitely 'drama' is a good word to describe the skirt.
DeleteYour dress looks lovely. I really like the neckline. I must remember the gathering trick because I tend to avoid waist gathers as well. This 1940's style of dress and pattern drawing always reminds me of my grandmother. She was a professional dressmaker and always wore this style of dress. She wore the panelled skirts with button up bodices and they were always similar in style. It always amused me as a teen that even in the 1980s she hadn't moved on from the 1940's.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think I might look differently at dresses with full skirts too if I was to move the gathers from around the hips. Your grandmother must have been a very well dressed lady, probably expected of a prof. dressmaker in those days. I think I would chose the 1940s over the 1980s though - having lived through the '80s and now looking back lol!
DeleteStunning as always. I also like how very unshirtdresslike your very shirtdress dress manages to be!
ReplyDeleteI always love the way you have with words - I can't believe that a non-loving shirtdress kinda person like me made a shirtdress, but maybe that's because it is so very unshirtdresslike ?!
DeleteI love that you took a vintage pattern and gave it a modern twist. I have this pattern and have been thinking of using it as the basis of a peplum blouse.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, I had that very thought as well originally. I think it would look fabulous as a peplum blouse. I even have some small checkered fabric that I've been looking at for that purpose. You know we should so do this :-)
DeleteCompletely agree with your thoughts on the neckline; it's unique and really sets this dress apart from most shirt dresses. I like how the dress is unbuttoned above the knee yet it still looks modest. Best of all, it looks comfortable. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteThanks - it is such a comfortable dress to wear and fits nicely in my smart/casual wardrobe. I'm already thinking about my next version :-)
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