Dear Retro Butterick Pattern #6582,
I had such great plans for you. You were going to make me look so fabulously Mad Men. But when it came down to it, you didn’t make me look anything but misshapen. Poo.
Regards,
Vanessa
If you follow my twitter feed, you might have seen my note that said, “Grrr. 95% finished with a dress I’m supposed to wear to a wedding next week. A. It’s HUGE. B. I hate it.” Well, this was what I was referring to. I got almost done with it (everything except the hem) and realized that it was about 3 sizes too big. Now, I followed the pattern based on my measurements to a tee! Clearly, the pattern people thought I should look like a potato sack. So I took it in about 2 inches each side, and I still didn’t like it. I should have known not to buy a pattern that only had an illustration as the picture. It looks way cuter on the barbie-shaped drawing than it does on me. Plus, the fabric I bought is a little stiff and doesn’t drape nicely at the pleats on the shoulders. However, I must say that I did a bang-up job assembling the thing. I did my first zipper and darts, and once again made use of my serger to finish the edges. Alas, this cut just doesn’t look that good on me.
Looking at the photo I took of myself, it doesn’t seem too bad, but I think it looks awkward in real life. Mike is usually easy to please when it comes to dresses, but he doesn’t like it either. Because my legs are kinda short, I have to hem the dress at my knees, throwing off the overall balance of the dress. Since the neckline of the dress comes up so high, the whole thing makes me look a little top-heavy, and not it a good way. Oh well. At least it was an awesome learning experience.
As for the wedding this weekend, I went to every damn store in the mall, as well as a bunch of other places around town and was lucky enough to find something I sort of like. It’s OK, but Mike REALLY loves it, so I guess that’s a win. I’m just disappointed I won’t be wearing something of my own creation, and I had to spend money on a new dress on top of what I spent in materials.
