Seeking Fitting Advice: Front Good, Back Not So Much

Here's a new view of Butterick 5353, the dress I am making in white for Annie's high school graduation ceremony. Don't you just love all the supplementary images Butterick, McCall's and Vogue now show for each pattern on their updated web sites?

And here's Annie modeling the muslin bodice of this dress. The front princess seams need to be taken in around the bust but other than that I think the front is in good shape. (I know I need to clip some of the seams to help things lay flat.)

I cut the smallest size available—an 8—for this muslin, with standard 5/8" seam allowances. Which was dumb of me, because I really could have used that extra 3/8" to play around with. I thought I'd have plenty of room because Annie normally fits a 6 in BMV patterns.



The back is where we run into trouble. Annie will never be able to zip this dress closed unless I add some fabric, especially around the waist. It fits nicely at the top neck, though. Nice to see Annie has inherited my rectangle shape (poor child).


Here's another view of the front. (I'm standing behind Annie holding the back closed.) You can see it's not a bad fit from the front.

Dear readers, any suggestions on how to solve this fitting dilemma? Do I let it out at the waist, starting with the princess seams? Do I recut the two center back panels to add fabric there? Start from the beginning again with a bigger size? I started a thread about this on PatternReview's message board and thought I'd open it up for discussion here too. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Finished: Actress-of-a-Certain-Age Butterick Tunic

If I were auditioning to play the part of the sympathetic best friend/book club member in the next Nancy Meyers movie, I'd show up in this satin tunic I just made. Doesn't it look like something Meryl Streep would wear in "It's Complicated"? This is so clearly a top for women over 50. I am sadly just a heartbeat away from an Eileen Fisher wardrobe.

But what the heck, I actually like this tunic. It looks good belted or worn open with a t-shirt and skinny jeans. "That's really cute, Mom," said Annie when she saw it on my dress form. I plan on taking this tunic to Florida when we head down south in two weeks.

Sewing Details

Pattern: Butterick 5034, a really basic-looking shirt design. Butterick is my least favorite of the big three, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well this fit and how nice the sleeve cap shape is. Very easy to make and I recommend it if you're looking for a BurdaStyle-like tunic but don't want to spend time tracing a pattern.

Fabric: A champagne-colored satin with lycra I bought on a whim from Fabric.com when the price was just too attractive. The fabric was a little shinier than I expected (and flashier than I normally wear) but I could tell it was quality stuff. Having lycra in this satin makes the pattern fit and wear all the better. When I make this shirt again I will definitely use a fabric with some stretch in it.

Changes I made: To avoid looking too boxy, I slimmed the side seams in at the waist, going in about an inch on each side. This actually made a big difference in the attractiveness of this tunic. I also made the sleeves 3/4-length, folding up the hem.

Bottom line: An easy pattern, with straightforward directions from Butterick, and simple enough for a beginner. Nancy Meyers, if you're casting in the NYC area I'm available….

Here's a view of this tunic without the belt. Kind of looks like loungewear here, right? You really need to see it with jeans and accessories. (Maybe I could be a good blogger and show a photo of me wearing it?!)

Back soon with a review of my Key West Cardigan, made from the wool knit (a.k.a. French terry) that prompted the discussion of online fabric shopping so many of you weighed in about. Thanks as always for taking the time to comment here!

They Say It's Wool Knit, I Say It's French Terry

This chartreuse knit represents why I have such mixed feelings about shopping for fabric online.

As I mentioned in my last post I haven't been to the garment district much lately to shop. Though I love going into the city, it's expensive (about $15 to $22 per round trip train ride, depending on time of day) and a visit can eat up a big chunk of your day. So, encouraged by my good friend Carolyn, online shopper extraodinaire, I have been buying fabric online to satisfy my fabric needs.

Carolyn, don't yell at me, but I'm just not as happy with online shopping as you are. Sure, I love the faux fur and the wool coating I bought from Fabric.com, but everything else has disappointed me when I pulled it out of the package. I mean, there's been nothing I've bought online where I've said "yuck, hate this stuff." It's more like an "oh, I thought this was going to be prettier" kind of let-down. [Note: I am, however, very content with the $1.95/yard fabric I just purchased from Fabric.com. Who wouldn't be for this price?]

Recently I wanted to buy some wool sweater knit after the positive experience I had sewing with the wool knit I bought at Mood. I found some wool knit on sale at Fashion Fabrics Club. Here's their description for the chartreuse fabric shown in the photo at the top of this post:

Chartreuse Green Wool Knit Fabric
The most exquisite knit we've seen.
A blend of 97% worsted wool and 3% lycra,
it is perfect for a dress or sweater.
It's so soft, you won't believe it is wool.
Enjoy for many years to come.
Imported from Japan
70" Wide
Dry Clean Only
Usually $50.00/yd.

My heart was pounding, this sounded so delicious! I clicked "buy" without a second thought. But when I opened the package a few days later, I kicked myself for being swayed by marketingspeak and not swatching first. This stuff is just glorified French terry! I'll do a burn test at some point if I can find some matches in the junk drawer, but this fabric feels and looks like a spongy polyester. Yes, I'll still go ahead and make it into this McCalls cardigan, though it will end up being more weekend wear than work attire. Wah!

Word of advice: Always get swatches first so you can test-drive the merchandise. I need to remember this.

What about you, dear readers? Do you have a better success rate with buying fabrics online than I do? Do you always request swatches first? Do tell!

Status Update: Still in Suburbia for Now

Please accept my apologies for slacking off on my updates from the garment district. A planned move to relocate my department to the city was postponed and I'm still in suburbia for now. But I'm trying to keep my NYC store information as current as possible—for example, did you know that Paron's is now open on Sundays? That's great news as so few stores in the district keep Sunday hours. Please feel free to email me with any garment district updates of your own, or names of stores you think I should review on this site.

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I haven't wanted to do much sewing for myself lately. My plan is to wait until I'm in the NYC office to see what the attire is like there before I buy fabric and pick out patterns. (Plus I feel all pudgy around the middle and I'd love to drop some pounds.) However, daughter Annie is in need of dresses as high school graduation looms on the horizon, so I'll keep the juices flowing by sewing for her.

First up is to make a muslin of this Butterick dress pattern, which, if all goes well, will turn into the white dress Annie can wear for her school's graduation ceremony (the girls wear demure white dresses and the boys wear white dinner jackets). I'm thinking a white eyelet or jacquard fabric for a dress à la Milly. Mood, B&J, Rosen & Chadick, or Paron will be my go-to stores for the fabric and lining.


Other than that I'm still working in the suburbs, not much is new with me. The kids are taking midterms now, it's pouring rain here as I write this, I'm sad the Jets lost, but as a former New Orleanian I'm thrilled to see the Saints going to the Superbowl for the first time. (I'll be ordering a king cake for the Superbowl party. Geaux Saints!) Back soon with review of a gold satin tunic for me I'm just putting the finishing touches on now….