Pattern Review - Butterick 6380

Heather, Lives in Gainesville. @sewhalfcrazy. #theplainsva #goldcupva #nova #northernvirginia #novastreetstyle #selfmadehat #amazinghats

A post shared by Northern Virginia Magazine (@northernvirginiamag) on Oct 29, 2017 at 10:55am PDT

Hello all! Welcome to another pattern review. We have officially entered the season of sewing. Between Gold Cup, Christmas, and gifts there will be some sewing happening. So today I'm going to be reviewing another Pattern by Gertie.

Gold Cup was at the end of October, and I needed an outfit that would be versatile enough for the ever-changing weather. Our crew decided on doing a County Fair theme for our tailgate, and I instantly knew what I wanted to do. With October's mercurial weather, I knew I needed a dress that would pair well with a jean jacket, cowboy boots, and hat. I also knew that a 50's inspired frock would be just the ticket. Oh, and what is a county fair without eyelet? I found a gorgeous kelly green with a modern circle pattern at Jo-Ann's. Thank you 50% off coupons.

I actually had to decide between two of Gertie's patterns, but this one won out because of the sleeves and the fact that it was already designed to be fully lined.

Before Alterations

The dress is fairly straightforward, although the neckline did prove to be a bit of a pain because of the point,  but nothing I hadn't dealt with before. I did alter how the zipper was put in because I prefer invisible zippers as opposed to traditional zippers, but installing the invisible zipper was easy because I attached the zipper before sewing up the back seam. Easy peasy. I also went a step further, in order to avoid hand stitching, which we all know I hate, by treating the zipper as a trim and stitching inside the seam allowance to attach and finish the lining opening in the back. The technique produces a nicely finished interior with no exposed seam allowances and no hand stitching! While this technique is not difficult, if you mess it up then it would be noticeable.

Final Outfit

When I first got the dress finished enough to try on, I was less than impressed with how much room I had in the waist. I did make the pattern according to my measurements but could've gone a size smaller in the waist. I ended up having to take in 3" from the underarm seam to the waist seam. My French curve helped greatly with this. I positioned the curve a finger's width below the underarm seam and then lined it up with the mark for how deep I needed to take it in, and then back to the waist seam. I could've gone 4" taken in, but 3" was that much more comfortable. 4" would've meant not overeating and drinking and no slouching! Not that I did slouch because that hurts my back.

So after I got all of my alterations done, I was more than impressed with my creation, not to mention it looked pretty fabulous with my boots and jacket. Thank you Target! The boots are several years old and the jacket was on clearance in the days leading up to Gold Cup.

I would say this pattern would be ideal for an intermediate sewer, maybe someone who has mastered the basics of sewing and is looking for something just a bit more difficult. The pattern sews up very quickly, and the guide sheet gives very good direction. Make sure you get all of the pattern markings transferred though. There are a lot!

I paired my outfit with navy blue jewelry from Charming Charlie's, who was running a BOGO sale on their clearance items. Score again!

Then there was the hat. The hat is going to get its own post. Look for it in the next few days!