For this post, I am sharing a pattern favorite of mine. It's very versatile and easy to hack!
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Butterick B4669 was designed by Gretchen Hirsch who owns Charmed Patterns. It is a tea-length pinafore-style dress with pockets, pleats, and optional sleeves. I would highly recommend this pattern for sewists who are transitioning from beginner to intermediate sewing. It lends very well to quilting cotton and has some intermediate-level sewing features such as the pleated skirt. However, if you want to simplify the pattern as I have, you can omit the v cutout on the bodice and gather the skirt instead of pleating it.
This is the third time I sew this dress and there are a few adjustments that I made to the original pattern to better fit my body. I tend to make all of these adjustments to patterns with fitted bodices. The adjustments are as follows:
Sway back adjustment
Lengthened the bodice by 1/2"
Lower the armhole by 1"
Adjusted the angle of the side bust dart
Lengthened the bottom bust dart by 1".
The skirt length is perfect for me. I am 5'4" which is usually the standard height used for the big 4 pattern companies.
For this make, I wanted to play around with embellishments. I hand-stitched a white lace trim with a black velvet trim to the neckline. This was the most time-consuming part of the project. Unlike what I used, I highly suggest using a stretch velvet ribbon to help with curves. I was able to manipulate the curve with the hand stitching, but as you can see in this video, the curve is not as precise to the neckline as I would like it to be.
I hope this post was insightful. If you wish to give this pattern a try, feel free to tag me on IG @The.Vintage.Raven. I would love to see your unique version.
Until the next make, take care | Ruthmarie <3
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