Butterick 5314 - white sleeveless dress

It is done!



This is view B of Butterick 5314. The pattern is for a dress with front & back darts, waistline seam, and three collar/neckline variations. View B has a simple bias-cut foldover collar.

I used a lovely cotton floral jacquard from Gorgeous Fabrics. It was a breeze to sew and press, and I am glad to have enough left for at least one more dress. The pattern calls for a lining but I skipped it, opting instead to use a facing at the neckline and bias tape for the armholes.

Besides the omitted lining, there are two other points of departure from the pattern instructions: one is the invisible zipper - I prefer it over the centered zipper application recommended in the pattern. The other is that I let the collar spread instead of bringing the points together at center back with hooks and eyes. I like the dip it creates (and not having to sew on another hook and eye is always a bonus).

Here's the back view:



I am definitely planning to make this dress again in other fabrics. This was kind of a trial run to see how I would like sewing and wearing cotton and to tweak the remaining fitting issues in this pattern (I worked out the major ones in muslin, as usual). I am always drawn to collars like this when I browse vintage patterns so I decided to give it a try - and I love it!

The Year of the (Sleeveless) Dress

Last year turned out to be very unpredictable, which made it difficult to get much sewing done. This year, things should be different because

1. our hospital switched to a different scheduling system so my sewing time should be much more predictable,
2. I have learned to sew in small chunks, say 30-60 minutes, instead of waiting to have a whole day to sew, and
   
3. I am learning (slow process, mind you) to let go of my perfectionist tendencies which often hinder my creativity.

I plan to add a few many dresses to my wardrobe this year because that's what I like to wear the most. Sleeveless sheath dresses have proven to be the most versatile and most-often worn pieces in my wardrobe (together with knit cardigans, but I buy those) so I will focus on sewing more of them, both from my TNT pattern and Butterick 5314.



I love the graceful collared necklines of views A and B, and the waistline seam will be useful for pattern-morphing later. View B is currently half-sewn. I plan to finish it tomorrow.

Back from hiatus

Hmm, I didn't even realize I've not posted since last July. It's not that I haven't been sewing - I have, but mostly muslin mock-ups, a couple of wadders, and a bunch of aprons. And then life got hectic and painful (and full of anxiety - long story involving a new dentist) and there went the mojo again. But now it's back and I am hoping to have some pretty new dresses to share and wear soon.