Sunday, September 29, 2013

Butterick 5101 Dress for Mini Wardrobe Contest



This is a fun wrap dress using Butterick pattern 5101 version C, which I recently made for a client in a gorgeous hot pink silk.  I love the way it drapes, and that it's not too low cut, even for my full bust.  

 Pattern Description: Wrap front top and dress have all-in-one sleeve, pleated collar extending into front neckline, side tie, sleeve length and hem variations. Designed for knits, but works well with woven fabric as well. This pattern is now out of print. 

Pattern Sizing: XS-XL. I made an XL. 

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, although my version had no sleeves.

Were the instructions easy to follow? They were fairly clear throughout although I didn't follow them too closely and did have to add some edge finishing since I wasn't working with a knit fabric. I did remember that the instructions told me to put the belt loop on the wrong side, so I didn't make that mistake again. 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I love that this pattern is very forgiving. It fits a wide variety of figure types and the wrap top doesn't gap and crosses fairly high (it fit nicely on me too, even though I'm very busty) meaning you wouldn't have to worry about safety pins or some other form of closure which is often an issue with wraps. I did have some issues with the skirt not staying closed when I sit down and blowing open in the wind - both to be expected with wrap dresses.

Fabric Used: No idea what the fabric is! It's a slightly shiny, medium weight bright, abstract plaid that's been in my stash, waiting for me to find a good excuse to finally make it!

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Since I wasn't using a knit, I serged and finished the edges differently than those called for in the directions. Someone suggested cutting the back on a fold if you're working with a print - a great idea for plaid! I left off the sleeves and shortened the hem. 

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will most definitely be making this again. It's easy and classic.

Conclusion: This was my favorite piece I made for the contest.


1 comment:

  1. I liked the way this pattern fit so much that when I wanted to make a muslin before using my limited plaid fabric, I used a nice teal jersey knit. I finished the teal dress last night and LOVE it. Will post pictures as soon as I get them.

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