Butterick 5382

Here is another project I finished back in March.
I'm starting to sound like a Michelle Obama groupie but this dress was also inspired by one of her dresses pictured here. This dress is almost identical to Vogue 8593 except this one has a seam under the bust and the Vogue does not. Thank goodness I had both patterns because I needed the Vogue instructions as described below.

Pattern Description: Straight Fitted Dresses have front pleats, raised waist seam and back zipper. Three sleeve lengths.

Pattern Sizing: 8-22. I made a 12 tapering to a 10 on top. Although the 10 fit through the bust, I felt the armholes were a little tight. not sure if the 12 would have made a difference.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, right down to the color.

Were the instructions easy to follow? All the other reviews said the pleats were a breeze but I could not get the center pleat right after several tries. I decided to look at the Vogue directions and those directions busted through my brain block by giving a diagram to illustrate the center pleat. Perfect! Closeup of pleats:

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Very flattering design. As I mentioned, I had trouble with the pleat instructions. I also cut the first front bodice out wrong. It's directional and I had the pattern piece the wrong way. I considered changing the direction of the center pleat but after I basted and pressed it several times, it was looking beat up so I cut out a new front bodice piece.

Fabric Used: I used a stable knit (double knit?) that I purchased a year or two ago from an online fabric source. Can't remember who!!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Probably don't need another dress like this but I thought it might make a cute top if I can find a lighter weight fabric that can stand up to the pleats.

Conclusion: This was supposed to be my "power dress" to wear at a conference presentation. But alas.... the airlines lost my bag and I didn't get it in time to wear. I subsequently debuted it at a client meeting and received some nice feedback.