News — dress

Provided McCall came out with this design (6659 in 1946) first, the pattern in my previous post (below) could have been Butterick's answer to the dress with cut-out details at the shoulder. As in Butterick's design, the McCall has geometric cut outs along the shoulder line but in non-shirred manner which draws attention to the face and this one nicely frames the neck with strappy V-neck appeal!   The cut-outs are faced for crisp, sturdy corners: Between the two designs, it may be curious how the draped short sleeve is so similar and the tendency to break up the mass...

This little gem of a 1947 Butterick pattern is featured in Threads Magazine, issue #188 (Dec. '16/Jan. '17) Pattern Review on page 24.  So, I am making this post the pattern tour for it!  I issued it in my multi-size series last year for 32" to 48" bust:   The cut-out details at the front of each shoulder create a flattering, almost sweetheart neckline.  The original pattern instructs making these cutouts with narrow hand-rolled hems (illustrated below).  I noted in my instructions to face the cut-outs with silk organza, using narrow seam allowances to get stable, crisp openings. There are...

People ask about re-sizing patterns, so I thought I'd give a little about that here. The general rule I give in some of the patterns I offer is as follows (this example shows a 1947 Vogue Dress): To grade a pattern 'With a long straight edge, draw vertical lines down the length of each piece as shown in the accompanying illustration.  Make sure each line is drawn to coordinate with the placement of the lines you draw on each adjacent pattern piece (click images below for larger view).   Cut along these lines.  Then, take the total difference between the...

Based on 'Most Pinned' for August, the 1956 Swim or Play Suit & Skirt held a steady first among those re-pinning my patterns:   Out of nowhere, the 1934 Dinner or Street Dress followed! While the 1936 set of Hats still holds a top spot: ...and this time, the 1920's makes an appearance in the 1929 Schiaparelli-esque ensemble!