I came across this gorgeous pattern today and I don't think I can live without it:

Butterick #4003 OOP

I think this pattern only goes up to a size 18. I need at least a 20, best would be a 22. ANYONE that knows if there is a larger size out there, please let me know! I love this dress and would love to do it in black on black satin for a concert dress.

In the meantime, I will think about buying the 18 and seeing if it can be sized up. Two sizes. YIKES.

They aren't exactly retro, but I bought some new patterns off ebay this week and got some great deals from this seller. She has super cheap shipping, 7 days to shop, and a fun assortment of current and OOP patterns:

OOP 8416
I like the collar on this shirt and the
two skirt options

I think I like the gray version of this pattern. There was a day when I had a small midsection and would have been drawn to the houndstooth, but now that my waistline is thickening, the gray one might be nicer for my body shape. I've always like "jumpers" because due to my short waist, I've never been able to wear shirts and skirts with much success. With jumpers I can kind of get the dress and skirt look without cutting myself in half.

B4800 is still available. I thought these would be
easy to convert to mini dresses.

B4800 just looked so cute to me. It's the only one I bought that is not out of print. I pictured the pink one and the green one in a fun little mini dress in my favorite aqua/turquoise colors with some matching sandals at the beach or on a movie night. I may chicken out actually wearing something so revealing and gaping in public, but it was cheap and who knows if I'll have more success trimming down my arms?

OOP 2263 This is a pretty classic pattern.
I can do a lot with this.

This classic pattern pretty much mimics a dress I had when I was about half the size I am now. I made a black gingham one with a perfict waist and cup size. I wore that dress every chance I got until it got too small. I don't remember giving it away. There were two more I didn't like the material as much, but loved the figure flattering look. I think the gingham one had little cap sleeves and the other two had no sleeves. I miss that dress.

Sewing Retro B4790 #7: Size 22 and 45"

I will start with this breaking news. I discovered last night that size 22 is the largest size that will fit safely on 44/45 inch fabric.

As you know I've been working on Buttterick's pattern #B4790 and having a great deal of fun making it fit. I finished the sample with a few problems pertaining to the bustline and the shoulders. I went with altering to a size 24 in the waist and down to as small as a 16 in the shoulders, then discovered in the end my fabric of choice was not quite 44" after washing. As I said before, it's been fun.

There is something I don't always do when I sew. Washing the fabric. Knowing the pattern was going to be a tight fit, (I was a 1/3 yard short when I bought it. I washed and dried the fabric before laying out the pattern. I found that either the material shrunk that much or it never was quite 44 inches wide. I also found the fabic to have a little stretch to it that I didn't notice before. I'm not sure I like this, so in hindsight--something I should have know better about--check for the amount of stretch in the material you choose. Both the samples I worked on did not stretch at all. I think it will be OK, just passing on that information.

I cut out all three pieces and started marking the darts. After some thought I had decided I wanted to try a straight bust dart, but at the last moment marked it for a slightly angled dart like in the sample. I draw on the back of my fabric whenever I can. I use a white fabric marking pencil or even better (or not) a plain old pencil. I am very methodical/mathematical about my darts. I like to measure from the pattern and transfer those measurements to the fabric.

I don't fret over darts. I measure them out and mark them.

I'll pin and press all the darts before I go to the machine with them. The bust darts go down, the vertical darts go to the outside.

I was going to hold this post until I had the darts done, I think I will go ahead and add this, then if I get them done some time today, I will add them to the end.

2:00 Addendum

The darts and shoulder seams went off with out a hitch. I've included a picture here. It fits just like the muslins did.

I think I am going to like the little bit of stretch
to this material. The next step is sewing on the
overskirt. I am so excited!

Sewing Retro! B4790 #6: I think I've Got It!

Butterick B4790 "muslin" with narrower shoulders,
a larger bust (D), higher armpits and sized to
a 24 in the waist. In other words, made to fit me!

A close up of the waist, chest and shoulders.
45 38 47 I am one hot chick!

I hope this shows the great fit in the armpits.
I had this on last night. It comes up higher
underneath than it did in the original pattern.
There's only a peek of bra where the fabric meets
under the arms and no gap along the front! I
removed close to 3 inches from the shoulders.

I am so excited now. I had lost a little momentum when the top of the dress ended up gapping so much. It was icky and looked like I would never have that great 1950s feminine appeal.

This was actually just another junk version. I'd used up all the muslin I had left and searched around in my cabinet for anything close to enough yardage. I found this pink/lavender floral it was just enough for the underskirt and the bodice back. I like this version enough I am going to find some 6 oz chambray or even 8 oz "denim" to finish this one with some matching blue bias tape.

I've got a few busy days ahead of me with a wedding to top it off on Saturday, but the only thing left I may do is move the bust darts out a little bit. It's not as clear in these pictures, but on me, the bust darts come in just a hair too far and pucker slight enough that you can see the point of the dart from the side but not the front.

I ended up just hacking off the shoulders down to the size 16 point and then removing another 1/2" after it was put together. I added 1"(translating to 2" on the finished product) to the waist of the back bodice and 1" (again adding 2") to the underskirt. I brought the area around the bust out 1/2" on each side of the front only. I didn't need the extra fabric in the back. I'm liking this enough at this point that I was up until way past midnight looking at other fabric combinations to sew this dress again.

I had what you see in the photos together in about 2 1/2 hours. But keep in mind, I spent many hours fussing over measurements, fit and fall. I have not set a skirt to it and I have not done the bias tape.

This is a sample of the chambray/denim I'm thinking about for
the over skirt. It's kind of difficult to see the blue matching
the print, but it does. I think it will give it a casual picnic look.

I am definitely looking forward to finishing this dress and wearing it as often as I can. With the usual changes I have to make to every pattern I touch, I'm ready to give this pattern a rave review, but I'll wait until I have at least one finished product.

Sewing Retro B4790 #5: The Muslin Fits the Form . . . But It Doesn't Fit Me

Well, the muslin fits the form beautifully, but it doesn't fit me. Well, that's not completely true, the same problem I have with everything is fitting above the bustline. It fits pretty much like a glove everywhere but above the bustline. I am so much smaller up there and through the shoulders it is aggravating.

This whole idea of being disproportionately small across the shoulders is what brought me to sewing for myself. The funny thing is, I don't worry about it too much--I just make the adjustments--until I get to working on a project that I'm so dedicated to perfecting--like this one. In another post I was considering pulling the shoulders in to a size 16. I'm beginning to think that might have been the right thing to do.

I''m sure there's an updated version and may even be a better book out there, but when I sew I find myself returning again and again to a book called:

Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing

This particular book is dated 1976, but it has never failed me when I've had questions about fitting dresses, shirts, pants--pretty much anything. There are even great sections on home decor.

So this time I made little progress other than actually getting the peices together and seeing it on the form. I am going to go ahead and increase the bust size to a DDD when I adjust the shoulders in.