I always thought this Butterick pattern and a few similar ones I have were from the 1940's, but I was wrong. I saw somewhere recently that these date to the 1930's. Late 30's I'm guessing. If you know more, let me know.I like the sundress but I get tired of trying to size up these 30 inch bust patterns sometimes. Granted I don't have to size them up much, but it's not something I enjoy doing.
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Hi Susan, that dress looks super cute - I think that one of the patterns I have kicking out is a Butterick from the 40s or 50s (I'm leaning towards 50s based on the silhouette, but I haven't had a chance to dig through the packaging looking for a date...). Just how much of a pain is it to grade up those size 30 bust patterns? My Butterick 6495 is a 30" bust, but I read somewhere that the amount of ease in vintage patterns generally takes care of the need to scale up the bodice area. Is this true? I'd only be scaling up 1-2 inches, so maybe its just a matter of being close enough already. I'm not denying that you might need to scale it up for yourself, but just curious as to the veracity of the ease statement.
I'm totally living vicariously through your blog whilst I count down the hours till being reunited with a sewing machine. Thanks so much for answering my last question a few weeks ago!
It's true that the amount of ease in vintage patterns can be excessive -- at least a lot of the ones I've used. Especially those from the 40's now that I think about it. And like you said- in the bodice.
I can usually use a 32 inch bust vintage pattern. I measure at 33. Sometimes I can use a 30 pattern. Lay the pattern out and measure it so you have an idea of its size (leave out the seams). Or pin it to a dress form if you have one. If the seam allowance is large enough I simply sew it smaller. For instance, if it says 5/8 inch I might try sewing it 1/2 inch. Not really profesional, but it works. Sometimes you can lay the pattern on the fabric and just cut further outside the line. Again, not very professional, but it works. The more you work with patterns the better feel you get for this sort of thing. Then you know how to manage shoulder width and arm measurements better.
I just get lazy sometimes and want to throw a pattern on the fabric and cut without any thinking about it.
I'll try and dig out some vintage stuff I've made and do a post on sizing. Don't look for it anytime real soon; I'm overwhelmed with stuff this week!
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