The Lavender 1950s Party Dress – Butterick Retro Pattern 5708

Posted by Edelweiss Patterns on May 6, 2012

A Lavender 1950s Party Dress

Hello Ladies!  Here is my latest 1950s party dress made from the newly released Butterick 5708, a great vintage design which has some details not usually seen in retro reproduction patterns.  I’m having a giveaway for this pattern on my Facebook page which I’ll give more details about in a minute, but first here are a few of my favorite photos of this dress. : )   

Perhaps I haven’t mentioned it before, but my all-time favorite color is lavender!  There is something so refreshing and charming about a very light shade of purple, and for years my closet was stuffed with lavender chiffon dresses, lavender knit tops, lavender high heels, and a lavender tweed skirt.  But after learning that I had “fall coloring” several years ago, I’ve tried to keep my color choices in a more earth-tone sort of palette, and subsequently discarded much of my spring colored wardrobe.

The only problem with this is that I never get to wear my favorite color, so I finally decided to make an exception and sew a 1950s dress from a beautiful lavender satin. 

I don't usually like gathered skirts, but on this dress I think it worked out fine.

I was so happy with the way this dress turned out, and I thoroughly enjoyed using Butterick 5708 which I will give a detailed study of below. 

Materials Used

For this party dress I used the Mystique Satin from Liba Fabrics, which is the best matte satin I’ve worked with.  It has a fine sheen to the material, but is not so stiff as most matte satins and actually drapes quite well. 

The sparkly overlay is something that has been in my stash for about five years, and had actually been used for my first prototype of Liesl’s Dancing Dress nearly five years ago!  But since it was just a prototype and was quite a bit different than the final version of the Liesl dress design, I knew I would never be able to use the dress.  So out came the seam ripper and off came the skirt overlay, and hence I had a perfectly good piece of fabric to overlay this 1950s dress with!

I made the ruffly rosette from 3 yards of thin silk ribbon, which is the same weight as what you can do ribbon embroidery with.  This particular ribbon comes from the May Arts ribbon collection, and it just happened to match the color of satin perfectly!

I also added a sheer floral ribbon along the "v" seam line.

The bodice is embellished with Hot Fix Swaraovski crystals, color Wisteria.  In case you haven’t worked with them before, you might like to read my post from last week about how easy it is to use Swarovski crystals.

Butterick 5708 Pattern Review

I wish the grass hadn't been so vibrant, but it actually wasn't recolored at all!

Butterick Patterns released Retro pattern 5708 in late fall 2011, and I instantly snatched up a copy of it since it looked like such an interesting design.  If you think the pattern cover looks like the famous “walkaway dress”, you’re right – sort of!  I’ve given a detailed comparison of the two patterns below. 

But for now I’ll just mention my experience with the pattern.  I am quite fond of this vintage design, though I had to do some alterations in the bodice.  The gathered skirt is a terrific skirt choice for this design, and I am usually not fond of waist gathers at all!  As with most reproduction vintage patterns, the bodice fit as is will not look like the perfect 1950s silhouette.  Since I wear a corset with most of my vintage dresses, I had to take in about two inches in the waist.  I could have used a little more ease towards the top of the bodice, but I am actually a size larger up top than in the waist area, so it’s not really the pattern’s fault.  

The fit of the upper bodice is a little constricting, but if I used this pattern again I would use a lighter weight material.

I did added a good inch of width to the shoulder ties, then used a very narrow seam allowance when sewing that part of the dress in order to make the shoulder straps as wide as possible. 

I should add that because this dress has no darts in the bodice, you should not use a heavy fabric for it at all!  The upper portion is cut on the bias, but since you have two layers of the fabric, there won’t be much give to the upper bodice fit unless you use a fabric that is very thin.  Personally I wouldn’t make this pattern again unless I was using a faille, satin charmeuse, China silk (lining weight material), rayon, or very very thin taffeta. 

Dressing up is kind of a lost art nowadays...

A Comparison of Butterick 5708 vs. Butterick 4790 (aka The Walkaway Dress)

  At first glance you might think it is another version of the “walkaway dress” (the 1950s wraparound dress which was edited in 2006 into the current version of B4790).

The famous three hour "walkaway dress".

But after a quick read-through of the instructions, there are actually no similarities at all, except for the triangular seam in the front which is closely associated with Butterick 4790. 

I’ll start with a comparison of the bodice details and work my way down. 

1. First of all, Butterick 4790 snaps in the back and closes in the front, while Butterick 5708 has a side zipper closure. 
2. Secondly, Butterick 5708 has an actual triangular shaped seam in the front and back of the bodice, while Butterick 4790 has no triangular lines at all, contrary to the pattern illustration on the front. 
3. Thirdly, there’s the obvious shoulder ties for Butterick 5708, (contrasting with regular shoulder seams for 4790), and no darts in 5708, while Butterick 4790 has quite a few.
4. And lastly, this new design has a gathered skirt which is simply a rectangular pattern piece, while Butterick 4790 is a half-circle shape for a widely flared skirt with a smooth waist area and no gathers at all.

That being said, my version looks much more like the “walkaway dress” than Butterick’s version does because I added an overlay which splits in front, looking very much like 4790′s wraparound skirt.  (You can see my three versions of Butterick 4790 here.)

Butterick Retro 5708 Giveaway!

Finally, I am giving away one copy of Butterick 5708 on this Edelweiss Facebook page this week!  Simply “Like” our page, then leave a comment underneath the givewaway post on our Facebook page.  The contest is open to international contestants as well, and the winner will be randomly chosen on Sunday, May 13th, 2012.  The winner will be announced on the Facebook page, and will be contacted for a mailing address.  If within one week after contacting the winner I have still been unable to get a response, a second winner will be chosen instead.  The pattern  that is being given away has pattern sizes 6-14 in one envelope. 

Have a wonderful week!

Happy sewing,

Katrina

 How to Apply Swarovski Crystals – Hot Fix & Flat Back

Posted by Edelweiss Patterns on April 28, 2012

Everything You Need to Know About Using Swarovski Crystals

   Twenty years ago, an elegant prom dress or skating costume was likely to be adorned with sequins, pearls, or hand-applied beads.  But for the last ten years or so, the creme de la creme of embellishments has undoubtedly been Swarovski crystals!  These Austrian glass gems come in dozens of vivid colors and a plethora of sizes, making them the ideal addition to sparkle up even the plainest of sewing projects.  Moderately priced and remarkably easy to apply, it’s no wonder Swarovski crystals have made their way onto Olympic ice skating costumes, couture wedding dresses, and First Ladies’ Inaugural ball gowns.  Whereas Queen Elizabeth’s formal gowns of the 1950s required hundreds of hours of hand beading to achieve that “over the top” elegant look, now even a home sewer can create an equally dazzling dress with no hand sewing at all!

Before we look at how to apply Swarovksi crystals, I’d like to explain a couple of terms which are important to understand in the world of “bling” vocabulary.

• First, let’s take a look at the term a “gross” of stones.  This just means a package of approximately 144 crystals of the same size and color, and is often times sold at a wholesale price.
• In recent years the term “to stone” something means to cover it with Swarovski crystals.  (For example, when I was talking with a mother whose ice skating daughter had costume qualms, the lady said, “I’m just going to buy three gross of stones and stone the living daylights out of her outfit.”)
• But the most important thing you can learn about Swarovskis is the difference between “Hot Fix” and “Flat Back“.
• Hot Fix crystals are probably the most commonly used Swarovski stones, simply because they are the easiest to apply.  These round crystals have a hardened glue on the back on them, which melts and bonds itself to the material when you apply it with the Hot Fix Tool.  (More on that later!)  The nice thing about Hot Fix stones is that you can arrange all the crystals exactly where you want them on the garment, then simply place the hot fix tool over the top of each until they’re all attached to the dress.
• Flat Back crystals look exactly the same as the Hot Fix stones but they have no glue on the back at all, so they must be applied with regular craft glue. There are some advantages to using Flat Backs, and they usually cost a couple cents less per stone than the Hot Fix variety.
• Finally, proper pronunciation of the name “Swarovski” can make you sound like a pro.  Please don’t say, “Swar-vo-ski“!  The word is pronounced just like it looks: Swar – ov – ski (rhymes with star – off – ski).  In Austria of course the word would sound different, but in English we say it just how its spelled.  : )

With these terms under your belt, let’s take a look at how to apply the Hot Fix crystals!

 How to Apply Hot Fix Swarovski Crystals

You will need:

1. Hot Fix Swarovski Crystals
2. Tweezers
3. Hot Fix Applicator Tool

But before you start, make sure you know when to put the crystals on your project:

1. After your garment is completely assembled, finished, and pressed.
2. At least 24 hours before you will wear the outfit!

So to start out, let’s take a look at the different heads for the Hot Fix applicator tool.  The package your tool came in should include a good half dozen heads, some of which are beveled (rounded) and some which are flat.  The instructions on the packaging most likely tell you to heat up the tool with the beveled head attached, place the stone color side down in the head, then flip the stone over and hope it lands at the right point on your garment.  Don’t believe a word of it!

Shown here are the beveled heads which I do not recommend using.

The first thing I recommend doing is forgetting the beveled heads altogether, as they almost defeat the purpose of having a hot fix tool at all!  (By the way, I didn’t come up with this method myself, but learned it from a lady who’s one of the biggest Swarovski crystal experts in the Northwest.)

The flat heads for the hot fix tool are so much easier to work with!

No matter what sort of stone you’re using I would always recommend using a flat head.  This way you can arrange the crystals exactly where you want them on the garment, then “iron” them on using your Hot Fix tool for the most precise and hassle-free application.  You may observe that there are not as many sizes of the flat heads as there are of the beveled type, but as long as the flat head is large enough to cover the top of the colored side of the stone it will work out just fine.

With the head screwed in place, you're ready to start heating up the hot fix tool!

Before you plug in your tool, you will need to screw in the appropriate head to the hot fix tool.  Then, plug it in and let it heat up for at least ten minutes to be nice and hot.

Tweezers make this task infinitely easier!

While you’re waiting on that, now’s a good time to start placing the stones in the right position.   The possibilities of Swarovski crystal designs are truly endless, and there are absolutely no rules about how to arrange them!  The one thing I would caution you about is that the more symmetrical you make your design, the less likely it is to look “perfect”.  We try our best, but occasionally a stone can accidentally get bumped out of place and ruin the effect.  Try arranging them in lots of different ways before you decide which way you like best.  (This goes without saying, but make sure the backing of the stone is on the fabric, with the colored side of the stone up and facing you.)

The layout possibilities are endless!

Now that your tool is heated up, all you have to do is press the heated tool onto the top of stone for thirty seconds!  (Keep the heated head only on the stone.  You don’t want to touch the tool to the fabric itself as it might melt some synthetics.)

The hot fix applicator just happens to match my project!

Once all the stones are attached, let them cool and set in place by leaving the garment undisturbed for at least twenty four hours.  After that, you’re good to go!  And as far as washing instructions go, most genuine Swarovski crystals can be laundered in the same way that the garment would usually be washed.  (For example, a prom dress would still have to be sent to the dry cleaners and a t-shirt would still go through the washer and dryer.)

How to Apply Flat Back Swarovski Crystals

All right!  Now that we’ve seen how to use the hot fix tool, you might be wondering what to do if all you have is regular glue.  Whether the stones you have are hot fix or flat black, you can attach either kind using the regular glue method!  (Conversely, flat back crystals cannot be applied using the hot fix tool.)

I’ll admit that this is not my favorite plan of attack for embellishing a gown, since regular glue is messy to work with and may leave slight marks on the fabric even if it is supposed to dry clear.

However, if Flat Back Crystals are the type available to you, they will still add a glorious sparkly effect to your project!

For the flat back crystal method, I'm going to show how to embellish a pair of high heels!

You will need:

1. Flat Back Swarovski Crystals
2. Craft Glue (Gem-Tac is my personal favorite)
3. Toothpicks
4. Tin foil

Gem-Tac glue by Beacons Adhesive is my personal favorite for Swarovski crystals.

Set up your glue and toothpicks on the tin foil, far away from the garment itself.  Place the stones in the general arrangement you’d like, then, using your toothpick as the glue applicator, place a small drop of glue on the garment.  Put one of the crystals on this drop of glue (using your handy dandy tweezers!), but don’t put any pressure on it lest the glue run outside the stone and leave a “ring” of glue.

Thankfully this white glue turns clear once it dries!

Be creative when deciding where to place the stones!

Continue dabbing small drops of glue across the garment and immediately covering them with the stones until all the crystals are in place.  You want to be very careful not to bump of move the embellished item until you’re sure that it’s completely dry.  The twenty-four hour rule definitely applies to this method as well!

And here are the finished shoes!

Once you’ve started using Swarovski crystals, you probably won’t be able to stop!  I’ve seen ladies go to town embellishing otherwise ordinary t-shirts, purses and cosmetic bags, high heels, hats,  and belts, besides much more elegant items such as wedding veils, formal wear, and bridal gowns. 

And in case you’re wondering about the two projects I showed in this tutorial, they both have to do with 1950s photo shoots!  The lavender duchess satin gown is my latest creation from Butterick 5708 which will be photographed shortly.  I am thrilled with the way this dress turned out, but I thought it could still use a few Swarovski crystals to dazzle it up.

My favorite color! I can hardly wait for the photo shoot on this 1950s dress.

The shoes were purchased in anticipation of a red 1950s party dress I will be making from an “in-the-works” 1950s dress pattern that has not yet been released.  I am very excited to get this pre-release version of this pattern, especially since I’ve had the red taffeta, sparkle tulle, and embroidered organza set aside with this project in mind.  I obviously won’t be able to show pictures of the finished project till the pattern is online for sale, but I will be posting all about it as soon as its ready. 

This fabric will soon be turned into another 1950s party dress!

Have a wonderful week, and happy sewing!

Katrina

 Jean Peter’s 1940s Film Costumes

Posted by Edelweiss Patterns on April 21, 2012

Jean Peter’s Film Costumes from the 1955 Movie “A Man Called Peter”

If you saw the vintage Easter dress I recently sewed, you probably remember my promising to post pictures of all Jean Peter’s gorgeous dresses!  Well, there were simply too many outfits to study every single one in detail, but today I’m sharing what I think are the most memorable costumes from this classic film.

In case you’re not familiar with the movie, it tells the enchanting true story of Scottish immigrant Peter Marshall and his incredible journey to Chaplain of the United States Senate.  Along the way, he meets and marries the gorgeous Catherine Wood who does her best to be the perfect 1940s wife and mother. 

After Peter’s untimely death in the early 1950s, the real life Catherine Marshall wrote the story of his life which was shortly thereafter turned into one of the greatest films of all times.  You can find out more about the movie here. 

The New York premiere in 1955 was a wildly successful phenomena.

But as much as I love the story, I loved the costumes even more!   I am listing Catherine Marshall’s dresses (as worn by actress Jean Peters) in order of appearance in the film.

I am more or less skipping over the first dress (worn for a few college, church, and engagement scenes), since it was covered in great detail last week after I had recreated this outfit at the last minute. 

Catherine Marshall’s Cream Pleated Dress

This first dress she wears for the film has lovely wide pleats.

 Catherine Marshall’s Pink 1930s Dress

This is really the classic vintage dress - a fitted bodice, gathered skirt, and vinyl belt.

If I didn’t know what decade the story begins in, I would surely have thought that this was a 1950s dress.  And why should one think otherwise?  It has that definite 50s feel with the full gathered skirt and wide vinyl belt that you could almost envision at a sock hop.  So did the costume designer just choose an outfit that was popular at the time of the film’s release?

Probably not!  In Kristina Harris’s fantastic book, “Vintage Fashions For Women: 1920s – 1940s“, she describes how just before WWII what we know of as Dior’s New Look had actually come into fashion already!  During the last couple years of the 1930s, American women returned to wearing corset-like structures and full petticoats under wider skirts, while adopting the waist-cincher belts that would be in constant use a couple decades later.  In fact, this image is so far from our idea of the slim, bias cut 1930s dress that it isn’t even funny!

But with the outbreak of WWII and the subsequent fabric rationing, tailored bodices and short, narrow skirts became the fashion by tragic necessity.  Once our boys had come home though, spirits soared and the newly regained supply of clothing material was celebrated.  The late 1930s styles which women had regretfully given up soon became the rage as women pouffed their six-yard skirts out fuller and fuller with crinoline petticoats.

All that to say that no, this costume was not inaccurate for 1936.  But it is interesting how the beginning of the movie (mid-1930s) and the end of the movie (early 1950s) show almost the exact same style of costume!

 The Blue 1930s Godet Dress

I love how they put Richard Todd in a tie the exact shade of Jean Peter's outfit!

Just as I mentioned in above about the pink dress, this drapier blue dress could have appeared during the I Love Lucy years!  Jean Peters looked stunning in this color, and in a few shots you can see a contrasting black vinyl belt.  The skirt was smooth at the waist and greatly flared by gores and godets at the hem. 

This was the first “big” scene after Peter and Catherine’s marriage, as well as the first scene where you really see her in the role of pastor’s wife.  Poor Catherine didn’t get to start out at any smaller congregations, but instead found herself married to the minister of Washington DC’s most historic church!  Judging from the book and Jean Peter’s portrayal of the character though, the former Catherine Wood was delighted to be the supportive role behind her new husband’s career.

 Catherine Marshall’s Blue Grey Vintage Church Suit

This blue suit, circa 1936, has beautiful velvet trim at the collar and lots of buttons down the front.

The first of Catherine Marshall’s suits we see her in, this bluish grey wool design is very charming on her.   It is notably more “grown up” and almost businesslike than her pre-married days church outfits, just as Maria von Trapp’s golden suit was much more reserved than her pre-marriage dresses. 

I love the velvet trim at the collar, but my favorite part of this outfit is the hat!  What an adorable style, especially with the French veiling over her forehead.

Catherine Marshall’s Hospital Gown

Don't you think she looks a little too refreshed to have just had a baby?

Just a few short scenes later we suddenly see Catherine in the maternity ward having given birth to a baby boy.  I know this is not at all a dress, but I wanted to point out what a pretty nightgown/hosptial gown this is.  Isn’t it infinitely preferable to those pitiful polka dotted things new mothers have to wear nowadays?  With the lace, bows, and pretty print, it’s something that a new mother should rightfully wear.  Perhaps our modern day hospitals could take a hint from the olden days!

Catherine Marshall’s Light Grey 1940s Dress

With this pleated-skirt dress, Jean Peters wore an adorable cloche hat in dark blue.

I love the bow at the collar!

When Catherine Marshall finds out she has tuberculosis, she comes home from the doctor in a charming light grey dress.  Its design is quite similar to previous ones, except that it has wide box pleats at the back of the skirt and a very cute ribbon bow at the neckline. 

 Catherine Marshall’s Brown Church Suit

The next suit we see Catherine wearing is her tailored brown number which has some wonderful details in the bodice.  Firstly, the button down front closure has highly unusual triangular points, and the buttons are double spaced diagonally as well.

In this publicity photo for the movie, the dark brown suit looks almost reddish brown next to the brick church.

I'm not sure if I prefer the pink felt hat or larger red picture hat she wore...

And finally, here’s

 The Fabulous Orange 1950s Dress!

This is my favorite of all Jean Peter's dresses! I love the color, fit, and styling.

This fabulous orange-red 1950s dress has a beautifully fitted bodice with a "dicky" style blouse and turn-back cuffs. The bow is really the best part, though!

This very dress worn by Jean Peters lived for years in Debbie Reynold’s world-renowned costume collection.  When the time came in 2011 for the collection to be dismantled, the auction listing for this item read:

“Tangerine wool day dress with matching belt, worn by Peters as Catherine Wood Marshall in the 1955 drama A Man Called Peter. In fine condition, with a studio costume tag on the inside reading “A-736-17 Jean Peters”. This costume is from the prestigious collection of Debbie Reynolds and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Debbie Reynolds and Darren Julien of Julien Entertainment. Proceeds from this sale go to benefit The Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Motion Picture Museum.
About The Film: In 1955, “A Man Called Peter” was presented by Twentieth Century Fox. This biopic was about the life of Peter Marshall, a Scottish clergyman, who became chaplain to the US Senate. Jean Peters and Richard Todd were cast in the lead roles of this movie. Harold Lipstein was nominated for an Academy Award.”

I was elated when I found what the dress looks like now.

And here’s a photo of how the dress looked in 2011!  If you compare the before and after pictures at all, you will certainly notice that Jean Peters wore the dress with a wide vinyl belt which must have been a good three inches wide.  When the dress was sold, however, the original belt did not accompany it and was replaced by a much narrower self-fabric belt.  So the question remains, “Is the narrow belt from the Reynold’s collection a later replacement, or was this original to the movie costume but not used for the location shooting?”  We may never know the answer, but I’m sure that at some point I will be recreating this dress! 

This red 1950s dress is my personal favorite of all the Catherine Marshall dresses, but I’d love to hear what everyone’s favorites are!  Does anyone prefer the straight, tailored suits, or do the full-skirted dresses win?  If I were to recreate one dress from the movie, which one do you think it should be?

Okay, now here’s a quiz to see how well you were paying attention:

Excepting the church suits and the nightgown, what three fashion details do all Jean Peter’s dresses have in common?  (The ones I’m thinking of do not include buttons or darts, nor skirt length.)

I’m tempted to type what my observations of the obvious fashion similarities, but I’m sure a lot of you will notice it as well. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy sewing,

Katrina

P.S.   All movie stills from A Man Called Peter are copyright Twentieth Century Fox.  Edelweiss Patterns does not claim ownership of any of the images and makes no profit from their use on this blog.