1940's Magic- Part 1

Today I have a very beautiful dress for you that started out as heartbreak. Honestly, after I made this dress, I just wanted to get it out of my sight, it caused me so many problems. But the fabric was so pretty, and I had spent so much time on it, that I just simply couldn't let it go. I’m so glad I didn't give up!

So here it is, my first Butterick 5209, quite possibly the most beautiful pattern ever made. There are some really amazing versions out there in the blogesphere, and so I went into this project feeling pretty confident. However, that confidence lead me to get a little cocky, and that is where the problems started.

It all really boils down to one thing. I wanted to be lazy, and it backfired. I thought I was so smart eliminating the seam on the tummy bit (not sure what this piece would be called) by creating a new piece without a seam allowance and cutting it on the fold. Of course, that made the installation of the lining supper duper difficult, and I had to wing it and find my own method that was completely different than the directions called for. This was pretty much a nightmare, causing me to eventually have to cut out most of the lining (which I butchered in my haste to fix my mistake). Also, the lining didn't fit into the sleeves properly, causing bunching.

I finished the dress (out of stubbornness alone), and finally decided to put it away until I was ready to try to tackle it again.

I’m not sure what compelled me to try this pattern again considering how long this dress took me to make and how disappointed I was with the results, but I did try again finally creating the wonderful dress I will post tomorrow, which actually turned out perfectly. Only then was I ready to look at this dress again, and finally figured out how to fix the problems with the sleeves by adding these little tucks where the fabric was puckering. It actually turned out great and I really love this dress! Yay!

The print on the top was gift from my parents, and I only had one yard, which was actually pretty awesome because it gave me the idea to use this solid green for the skirt. Rather than using the skirt pattern provided, I just made a gathered skirt and attached it. I also added pockets to this version.

For something I was sure was a total failure, it turned out really really adorable after all! I’m so glad that I can be a little honey badger with projects, never letting them go until they are wearable even if they seem like they will be totally unfix-able. The lining does look pretty rough, but who cares? This dress was just for me anyway. I’m so happy I found a way to fix it, because I would have been so sad to waste this fabric. :)

Tomorrow I’ll post the second version, which I must say (and already did say), came out perfectly. Stay tuned!