I snagged some of this lovely print from Riley Blake Designs' new line Buttermilk Homestead, which is an 1800s reproduction fabric line, but this print definitely shouted midcentury to me. I had a pretty definite outline of what I wanted it to look like, so I just had to look through my patterns to find one that fit my mental image.
I settled on this late 1950s pattern which I remember buying fairly early in my sewing journey, and never making. It's been in my drawer for something like 10 years! Definitely time to give it a chance to shine.
It has the familiar 1950s silhouette, but also some cute details that are a bit more unusual. The back bodice pleat, scalloped wide collar, and inset waist bow made it quite unique.
I BARELY squeezed it out of my yardage, and that included taking width out of the front skirt, piecing the collar facing, shortening the skirt, and there was sadly no way I could do the 3/4 sleeve option. Bonus, however, to not have a lot of leftover scraps I have to find a place to store.
After the initial fitting I had to make some adjustments. The back pleat looked lovely when the dress was laid flat, but worn it bulged badly. I tried cutting an inch off the back bodice, but that didn't help significantly. I ended up top stitching the pleat down about halfway up - in the end it worked well, since it fixed the bulge problem but still allows the pleat to move and give my shoulders room.
I was super pleased with how the collar turned out. Sometimes I don't like wide collars on myself, but this one I do. And the back scallop is just too cute!
With the waist bow, I couldn't wear a belt to cover up any discrepancies, so I had to take more pains than usual to make sure it fit me and the seams matched at the waist. The bow is made in a long strip, folded to make a bow, and then the ends sewn into the front bust darts. I thought that was pretty ingenious, though it did make for a more interesting construction a little out of the usual order, since the front darts had to be done last before the skirt was attached - and then you had to be careful not to catch the bow in the waist seam.
I realize with this busy print the bow and collar is lost slightly, but I still like how it looks. This would be a great pattern for a solid color or even for a cocktail dress in a formal fabric. It's very similar to some that Donna Reed wore in The Donna Reed Show. Now that I've made it and know its quirks, I'll keep it in on the burner to make again in a different fabric.
I ran into a snag when I went to choose buttons. The background color is an interesting gray-blue, which meant that if I tried to match blue buttons they looked wrong, and gray looked green. I finally settled on black since the leaf detail is in black. It looks well enough, but wasn't quite what I had originally in mind.
I was able to make it in just a few days, and it was a refreshing palette cleanser after making quilts. It will be a good season transitional dress. Now I really feel like I should host a bridge party or something!
