After completing the Trina Turk dress I still had red thread on the serger. I pulled out Butterick 5562 from the stash and a red bamboo knit from Fashionmart. I know. TWO non Burda patterns in a row! I always forget that I have an actual stash of Big 4 patterns 🙂 Oh, and my point and shoot camera HATES red.
The reviews on PR noted that the shirt was generally big. The pattern runs XS-S-M. I originally planned to make a medium. But, after checking the finished measurements, I decided to go with a SMEDium. Small in the shoulders, medium around the bust, small at the waist and medium through the hips. That and a FBA gave me a terrific fit.
Again, I made a dartless FBA with 3/4 inch in width added at the bust point and 2 inches in length added below the bust point. The two inches was over kill, one would have been fine. I also made a one inch swayback adjustment (hence the seam up the back).
I first thought the sleeves were pleated (a very Burda technique). But, it is in fact all done with gathering and elastic. I used clear elastic for the vertical gathers.
The pattern has you set in the sleeve. But, I ease stitched it with mixed results. You can see some parts didn’t ease as evenly as others. Not enough to bother me though!
The knit is drapey and about two years old (back in my ‘I need more solid colors’ phase). It was only well after I’d cut out the pattern that I realized I hadn’t pre-treated. I’ m sure it’ll wash fine though.
Other notes? I used bias knit interfacing in the neck and hemline. I just turned those down and top stitched with a twin needle. I didn’t bother hemming the sleeves. The shirt is long. But, I like that! No back crack 🙂
That’s it. I made this Friday night between washing and twisting my hair. Red is such a good color for me, but after pledging in college I stopped wearing it as often (my sorority colors were not red).
My jeans are Levis BTW. I wear 505 (Straight Leg “Straight and roomy through the seat, thigh and leg“), 512 (Perfectly Slimming “flattens your tummy with a hidden panel while it shapes and smoothes your curves”), and 529 (Curvy Boot Cut “stretch fit that flatters, with a rise that contours to your every curve”). These work really really well for me. Smaller waist, larger hips, deep curve for the posterior. And, I can get a pretty good price for them on sale at Macy’s. I’ve also gotten to the point that I buy multiple pairs of them at a time. Actually, I try on jeans, find a good pair, then email Trena. Same shape, I’m just three times as big 🙂
I have one last red dress cut out to be sewn. Hopefully to be worn to work on Valentine’s Day and another to be work for Valentine’s dinner.
My Pattern Review is here
