My almost-39yo son’s first-ever vocal recital (with me as his accompanist!) mandated I make a new dress. I saw and purchased Butterick 5523 about nine months ago—when I noticed the pattern, it struck me as a classic style that would be flattering to my figure.
As I posted recently, I had a very stressful week leading up to this weekend of performances. I grabbed bits of time wherever possible, and then ran up against a brick wall when I realized I had basted one set of pleats in backwards and sewed the wrong side of one skirt piece to the right side of the other. Argh!
After lots of piano practice, I felt comfortable grabbing another hour of sewing time on Saturday morning and then a final hour on Sunday morning. And I won the race!
and my adopted third son, Willis—aka Chip—who accompanied three of the pieces.
Voila! A new take on the musician’s de riguere black performance attire.
Here’s the review:
Pattern Description: Close fitting, A-line, above mid-knee length, pullover dress has draped collar, front and back pleats, concealed elastic casing, long sleeve with pleats at cap, back tab with non-functioning buttons, topstitching and stitched hems.
Pattern Sizing: 8-24. When I sew any of Katherine Tilton’s Butterick patterns, I cut a 16. But I was a little anxious about this bodice length (i.e., where the empire waist would fall), so cut a size 18 bodice from some scrap knit I had around. I was very happy with the 18, so cut that of the selected fabric.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.
Were the instructions easy to follow? Very easy.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Like: Classic style will never be outdated. Empire waist and gentle pleats hide my long-cold-winter belly.
Dislike: Don’t have enough yardage of anything else to make it again immediately! 🙂 Love this dress!
Fabric Used: Black 4-way stretch nylon/acetate/lycra blend from GorgeousFabrics.com. If this link doesn’t work, search the site for “swiss 4-way stretch”. For the cowl collar and sleeves, I used a rayon/poly blend from Mood Fabrics.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I always stabilize the shoulder seams of knit tops with a ¾” strip of knit interfacing such as HTC’s SofKnit or Bosal’s soft stretch fusible tricot. On the hems, I cut strips of the same interfacing that are the hem depth, fuse in place, then use the edge of the interfacing as my guide to fold and press the hem. This little hidden helper makes double-needle topstitching the hems in place go like the wind!
I had to skimp on the hem. Next time I will add 1″ to the length when cutting. (I’m 5’8″.)
I did not add the back tab, partly because of time and partly because I felt the dress just didn’t need it. I’m not sorry I skipped that step.
Collar/neckline: A little low. I took tiny safety pins and pinned the collar out closer to the sleevehead at the shoulder seam. This made it look more like a portrait neckline and made the décolleté a little less obvious. I may sew snaps there for future use, and will cut the next version 1″ higher at the center front.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes and Yes.
Conclusion: Anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t like being the center of attention. That’s why I’m an accompanist (“Collaborative Keyboard Artist”) rather than a soloist. In wearing this dress to accompany my son in a solo recital, I felt elegant and refined. Very presentable; very self-assured. A win!
A few more pictures. A back view; the great cutout “lace” fabric; a flash photo of the front so you can see how nicely the pleats drape.
Stylin’: Black microfiber tights. I don’t remember the brand, but the microfiber makes garments slide across these tights. They have a sheen and are so much nicer than the regular tights that grab the fabric around them.
Munro ‘Robyn’ boot in black. Perfect for performances. Stable, good support, and heels just the right height for arthritic knees.
