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THE Dress - Butterick 4790

artful dodgette

One of the Regulars
Messages
212
Location
powderbox, london
yeah i think it'd work, or you could sew a piece on the back that snaps to the side of the front piece? if that make s sense!?

off topic....

in john willies Bizzarre magazines theres a whole section on tight skirts, and some of the tailoring ideas are genious! i'll have to scan it in!
 

kerry

One of the Regulars
Messages
228
Location
enfield, UK
altamari22 said:
I love this pattern. I actually contacted Butterick on this pattern they said they didnt make it anymore however I was lucky to find it in their re-release section called Retro. I have got the pattern but I havent started to work on it yet.
I would make a few changes though cause I dont wear sleeveless so I will be adding 3/4" sleeves to keep with the look and cover my arms. wish me luck
Oh please let mwe know how you get on adding the sleeves. I love this dress but dont do sleeveless either so I would be really interested:)
Kerry x
 

Darhling

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,517
Location
Norwich, RAF County!
artful dodgette said:
you're all making me want to make one! i may make the underskirt into a tight pencil skirt though...

thats what i would do! And perhaps the outer skirt I would use a different fabric, perhaps chiffon or something else flowy and sheer.
 

kamikat

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,794
Location
Maryland
Josephine said:
Is that $49.00?!?! :eek:
That's ridiculous! That pattern frequently shows up on eBay and never goes for more than $20. It was their most popular pattern for many years and there are tons of them out there. If you're willing to wait, search, you can find it much cheaper.
 

Josephine

One Too Many
Messages
1,634
Location
Northern Virginia
kamikat said:
That's ridiculous! That pattern frequently shows up on eBay and never goes for more than $20. It was their most popular pattern for many years and there are tons of them out there. If you're willing to wait, search, you can find it much cheaper.

I got a reissue for less than $3.00! Good Grief, especially for something you're going to cut up....
 

Anwen

New in Town
Messages
49
Location
London
ShoreRoadLady said:
DimeADanceQueen: Pretty! Would it be possible to see the high heels up close? I like those prints with shoes, or hats, or dresses, or fashionable women strolling all along the length. :)

DressADay just put up a vintage photo from a book, showing the Walk-Away Dress. The book even recommended making it from two old dresses. Makes sense, if you think about it.

That's fabulous! I have a dress that I bought for £1 from a charity shop which is juuuuuuust too small, the buttons over the bust gap a little and the bottom two buttons (the skirt's about mid calf on me) have got sort of ripped a bit when I've been sitting funny with my legs wrapped under me. It has a lovely full skirt, though, which I bet would work well for being converted into something like the walkaway dress, I suppose the thing to do would be to make a replacement bodice and front-skirt-piece, and adapt the skirt of my dress to be the overskirt...
 

KittyVonKirsche

Familiar Face
Messages
88
Location
Perth, Australia
I just bought this pattern today and Im soo thrilled to find this post. Ive never sewn a thing in my life so thankyou ladies for all the little snippets of info in here. Im going to make sure I take notes b4 I get started.

Can I just ask, is the skirt roomy enough for a crinoline? or at least a flouncy petticoat? Its just I have a bit of a belly (understatement lol) n Im worried about the underskirt sitting flat on it, I want to give it a bit of volume. Sorry if someones already mentioned that, Ive not had a chance to read the whole post yet.
 

cailinbeag

Familiar Face
Messages
63
Location
Houston, TX
I made this dress about two years ago, and love it. I found its' reputation as the "walk-away dress" a bit misleading, though. The pattern is simple enough, but there's a lot of hemming in the outer skirt. I made it with a stretch cotton sateen that worked really well. The bodice fit beautifully. The waist was a bit large, but I suspect it was due to the slight stretch to the material. Overall, it's super cute and I would make it again.
 

pixie

Familiar Face
Messages
51
Location
vancouver
I am sorry to say, but this is not a simple pattern to make at all. i am about a size 20/2x and bought the largest size of this pattern which is supposed to go to a size 22!! I have a friend who is a very good sewer and even she hates this pattern, the only part that we did not have to change and change and change was the skirt. I bought old sheets from value village to make an adjusted pattern out of and thank goodness I did. We had to redo the upper part that connects on the back to the skirt about 3 times. not to mention how huge the arm holes are on the front of the pattern, gah!!! :rage: We soldiered on and have almost finished the first of 2 dresses that I am trying to make to wear for Viva las vegas weekend. I am hoping to have them both done in time eep:eek: wish me luck.
 

cailinbeag

Familiar Face
Messages
63
Location
Houston, TX
pixie said:
I am sorry to say, but this is not a simple pattern to make at all. i am about a size 20/2x and bought the largest size of this pattern which is supposed to go to a size 22!! I have a friend who is a very good sewer and even she hates this pattern, the only part that we did not have to change and change and change was the skirt. I bought old sheets from value village to make an adjusted pattern out of and thank goodness I did. We had to redo the upper part that connects on the back to the skirt about 3 times. not to mention how huge the arm holes are on the front of the pattern, gah!!! :rage: We soldiered on and have almost finished the first of 2 dresses that I am trying to make to wear for Viva las vegas weekend. I am hoping to have them both done in time eep:eek: wish me luck.

I'm sorry you've been struggling with the pattern. I've had projects like that, and they're a real pain. I don't know that it'll help you right now but for the future, I'd like to suggest you ignore the sizing and use patterns based on your personal measurements. Pattern sizes and retail sizes DO NOT coincide.

I hope you have a great time at VLV! I'd love to go one year. :)
 

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