An Almost Wadder - Butterick 5744

I started sewing Butterick 5744 way back in January. However, when I came to attach the skirt to the bodice it looked terrible. There was too much fabric going on in the bodice and the position of the elastic made me look frumpy. 

After making various hacks here and there I still wasn't convinced. Generally my wadders go straight in the bin as I can't stand the sight of them. As I had spent so much time on the bodice I decided to just hem it and give it to the charity shop and popped it in my sewing basket for a task at a later date. However, last week I was clearing out my sewing area and I tried this dress on again and I actually quite liked it. I hemmed it and now I have a perfectly fine new dress!


I have a really lovely RTW sheer dress which is very similar in style and I absolutely love it. When this pattern came out I knew that I wanted to try it. I decided on the skirt of view A and the bodice of view B. 

I initially cut out a size 14, but I really should have cut a 12 as this pattern has a ridiculous amount of ease. The other alterations I made were to to raise the waist elastic so that it is more empire line in style and I took in some ease in the skirt. Lastly, I shortened the skirt so that it hit me above the knee. 


The fabric used is a ponte knit purchased from Fabricland for £3.99 per metre. I am having a love affair with ponte knits at the moment. They are so easy to cut and sew with as they don't fray and are more stable than jerseys. I also find that they wash really well and are so comfortable to wear. The instructions call for this dress to be lined, but I didn't think that it was necessary with a ponte knit. I don't have an overlocker, so I sewed my seams using the Jalie method for sewing knits on a sewing machine. 


I am glad that I came back to this dress after all these months. It took no time at all to finish. It's so strange that I was ready to write this garment off and left it it my sewing basket for so long. I must have needed a fresh pair of eyes to see that it was worth finishing.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out in the end and it is a comfy dress that I can dress up and down. It will be great for the summer and will be fab in the winter when I can pair it with a cardigan, tights and boots. 



You can read my Pattern Review here.

Do you have lots of UFOs? Do you keep them for a long time?
And do you have to muster a lot of willpower and a new frame of mind to tackle them?

Happy Sewing!

Comments

  1. Nancy D26 May 2014 at 09:17

    You are so right - sometimes letting a project marinate on the chair in the bedroom makes all the difference. I'll try it on after a break and find I can't remember what I didn't like about it. Maybe I was just angry because the fabric didn't behave while being sewn? Good job you gave this dress a second chance, it looks adorable on you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sewingfunthings26 May 2014 at 09:25

    I'm happy that you saved this dress. It is very pretty on you. Sometimes, I let things rest overnight while I'm thinking about its' problem. Sometimes, it rest for longer. This is a great strategy to use and I'm glad it worked for you.

    ReplyDelete

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