MelodyMae.co.uk » Butterick B5880

10th July 2017

{ Sewing } Twilight Tartan

Often when I’m roping friends into taking photos for me for the blog, we get a little carried away with shopping and eating burgers. We then have to run about to find the last bit of light so I can get a photo. That’s exactly what happened with this tartan 50s dress – taken in twilight!

You can tell already – it’s the trusty B5880 all over again! My versions of this dress has undergone some real changes from the original pattern. This time, I’ve ditched the neckline notches and done away with the sarong skirt in favour of a pleated dirndl skirt. I used box pleats for this skirt style, similar to my A Check-Ah, A Check-Ow dress but used a much longer length that other versions.

This tartan version sees the return of the original concealed side zip which makes it easier to get in and out of without help! The seams are overlocked, the neckline and arms are bias-bound. It also features possibly the biggest pockets on a dress to date – it fits an A4 magazine with a bit of room! If you love pockets as much as I do, I’m sure you’re going to appreciate that!

The fabric itself is a lovely mid-weight wool blend Stewart tartan. Is a great fabric with nice texture, snuggly warmth and is light enough to hang well, but stiff enough to keep shape, which is my perfect sort of fabric!

We’re heading into spring now, and I’m going to be so sad to stop wearing this dress. Although I love my ginghams, I adore this dress too much to say goodbye right now!

Earrings; Bow and Crossbones
Necklace&Belt; Vintage
Brooch; Luxulite
Bangles; Vintage and Splendette
Bag; Sun Jellies
Shoes; Primark

10th July 2017

{ Sewing } Planten Un Blomen

I made this Japanese inspired dress the day before I was flying to Germany. I’d decided I had absolutely nothing to wear for the wedding we were going to. This really isn’t the case, but they don’t call me Last-Minute-Melody for nothing!

I needed a tried-and-tested pattern to make this as quickly as possible. Without even thinking, I grabbed my trusty B5880 pattern and got to business with my fabric.

This fabric is a great medium-weight cotton in navy blue with a non-specific Oriental theme. I like to think it’s a Japanese print, but you can correct me if I’m wrong! I’ve had this fabric sitting around since my last trip to Goldhawk Road – and I won’t do that again in a hurry. Does anyone else come out of every shop getting nearer and nearer to panic attacks, or is that just me?

As always (you can check out my other B5880’s here.), my B5880 is now very different to the original, without the neckline notches, an altered neckline and this version has a circle skirt instead of the original sarong-style.

The alterations on each dress seems to change with every new version, regardless of how big or small. This dress is the same, with the side zip moved to the centre back and some neckline differences. Seams are all finished with the trusty overlocker, but the hem and arm holes are bias-bound and catch-stitched.

Since time was not on my side (my own fault!) I didn’t line this dress. Luckily the fabric itself is not see-through, so lining wasn’t so important – no worries of flashing here! The saddest point – I didn’t have time to put in pockets! The shaaaaaame!

Now I won’t lie – I don’t actually like this dress. I loved it in my head, I loved it once it was off the machine but once I wore it? Really wasn’t a fan. And I haven’t worn it since – do you ever get like that?

Hair Flower; Lady Luck’s Boutique
Earrings; Bow and Crossbones
Brooch: Luxulite
Necklace; Vintage
Bangles; Vintage
Shoes; Miss L Fire

3rd July 2017

{ Sewing } Last of the Summer Gingham

Alternative title; MORE BLOODY GINGHAM. MORE BUTTERICK B5880.

Hi guys! How are we all doing? I accidentally missed a week there because I was too busy getting drunk dressed up as The Little Mermaid… Hopefully you guys have had a week quite as awesome as that?

Yes, that is what you think it is!

I made another B5880 in gingham. I’m approaching this post with general nonchalance because really? There’s nothing I can tell you about this dress that you haven’t already heard from the ONE TWO THREE FOUR versions of this dress I’ve made (there’s also one I haven’t blogged about AND another one in the making – it’s B5880 mania here!)

The main difference between this dress and the Check-Ah Check-Ow is the ric rac trim on the neckline and the pockets – and I have out-done myself pocket-wise, since these behemoths can actually hold an A4 magazine.

Other than that, this dress is practically identical. Still has the boatneck-styled neckline, the back zip and pleated dirndl. And frankly? It works for me. The blue gingham dress is still in heavy rotation now, so why not exactly the same thing in another colour?

The construction for this dress has become like second nature to me now, since I’ve made so many versions! I may or may not have sewn the ric rac skew-iff because I was still drunk when I finished it… I have cleverly hidden that from view in these photos though, of course, because no one should have to see bad ric rac placement!

Brooch: Luxulite
Bangles: Vintage and Splendette
Shoes: Miss L Fire
Bag: Vintage

26th June 2017

{ Sewing } A Check-Ah, A Check-Ow!

I have a thing for Gingham.

I don’t know exactly why I love it so much, but there’s something about gingham that draws me into it. This cotton gingham in particular is a dream to work with – large woven check, behaves itself and although it can fray easily (as with most cotton) pinking is no problem for seam finishes.

There’s so little I can say about the making of this dress, because you’ve seen it all before. Yes, it’s that damn Butterick B5880 bodice again!

Much like the last three. damn. dresses. I used the B5880 bodice with, I have omitted the neckline notches, graded the bodice up and down and all around, added a sort-of-Kimono-sleeve – and then whacked on a box-pleated dirndl and rectangle patch pockets for good measure.

There are a couple of “new features”, if you will, though. Unlike previous B5880’s, this one features a centre back lapped zipper (explaining the fancy-ass zip picture) instead of a invisible side zip, which actually makes this dress really hard to get in and out of without help (balls.) I’ve also lowered and widened the neckline to be more of a boatneck, although I’m not to sure on it.

I also attempted a tip that came up on Twitter quite a while back about hemming – which was basically just sewing your fashion fabric and lining fabric as a normal seam and just pressing. It’s my sort of tip – the lazy girl’s way! At the very least, it gives a nice, invisible hem.

Construction-wise, you’d really think I’d have this damn bodice down perfectly – but no! This was one of those months-long projects that kept getting thrown in the bin because things weren’t working out – then I’d leave it for a month, correct it like it was no problem, and something stupid would happen and it’s back in the bin.

I’ve still not worked out the best way of fixing the bodice gape, and let’s not talk about the sleeves being weird and baggy – unless you have a suggestion of how to stop that asap.

Hair Flowers; Lady Luck’s Boutique
Brooch; Luxulite
Belt; Collectif
Stockings; What Katie Did
Shoes; Irregular Choice

24th June 2017

{ Sewing } Whatever Floats Your Boat, Sinks Your Battleship

It’s Sew Dolly Clackett time!!!

It’s like university all over again; the deadline is steadily approaching, I’m sewing like a sewing madman, I can’t do simple maths to work out pleating. Everything has gone wrong and I’ve even cried, BUT I HAVE DONE IT. Pulled it out of the bag with little room to breathe before the deadline, but it’s here.

If you’ve been living under a sewing rock, you might not know what Sew Dolly Clackett is, (Shame on you.) but the lovely Sarah from Rhinestones and Telephones made a sewalong-come-wedding-present for the gorgeous Roisin of Dolly Clackett‘s upcoming nuptials. You make a dress inspired by her frankly substantial self-made wardrobe, and enter it on the Flickr for prizes and notoriety!

Fang Rock Dress | Green Ginger Dress

I used the inspiration of Roisin’s Fang Rock dress for the bodice and sailor theme, and her Green Ginger dress’ pleats. Using the Butterick B5880 bodice I tried to re-create the BHL Anna bodice (badly) she used, and the skirt is a ‘self drafted’ pleated dirndl.

I made this dress from a gorgeous cotton, bought from my local shop Rolls and Rems. It’s got printed navy stripes and red anchors – who doesn’t want that in a dress?

Fully lined in white cotton with a waist stay – this is technically my best-sewn item to date! The zip busted on me in the final try-on, which caused me to cry, but luckily I persevered on with a second zip and managed to get out of the house to take a few photos outside our door. True Dolly Clackett style!

I’ve had a bit of a massive blogger crush on Roisin for a while now, and I make absolutely no secret of this – I love her humour and her face and her super-human sewing skills (I lose count of just how many dresses she makes in a month!) and her shoe obsessions have, much to my boyfriend’s dismay, inspired me to buy countless pairs of ridiculous shoes.

Congratulations, Roisin and Nic! I hope you have an amazing gin-filled wedding and many, many happy years ahead of you!

Necklace; Vintage
Belt; Collectif
Shoes; Irregular Choice

24th June 2017

{ Sewing } Lace Be Honest, You Love A Good Pun, Right?

(This post on a handmade black lace 50s dress was originally posted on Bourbon and Bras on 8th March 2014)

In my Sewlutions round-up post I introduced the “Lace Be Honest” dress, which is a dress I wear at least twice a week.

The Lace Be Honest dress uses Butterick B5880, the same as the Homage To A Mad Old Lady dress. Like the previous version, I omitted the neckline notches. Instead of the sarong-style skirt in the original pattern I made a pleated dirndl using 2-inch box pleats.

I fully lined this dress in a nice crisp black cotton to keep those pleats in check and create volume in the skirt.

The lace overlay was from the bargain box at my local fabric shop, Rolls and Rems in Holloway at the absolute bargain price of £8.99 for just over three meters -which is an amazing price considering the lace is £7 a meter as it is!

I made it to show off the scalloping of the lace by having the lining a tad shorter.

Also – POCKETS. Have I fully expressed my love for pockets on here yet – because I LOVE POCKETS. Screw everyone that makes dresses and skirts without pockets – where else will us laydeez put our knives? I make sure to tell everyone who shoes any interest in my clothes that they have pockets.

I used the scalloped edging for the top of the pocket, to match the hem (and I like scallops) and they were hand-stitched on with help from this tutorial from By Gum By Golly, and you know when you get your stitches perfect and they’re invisible? YEAH, BABES. I CAN DO THAT.

Necklace, Bag and belt; Primark
Bangles; Vintage
Boots; Rocketdog

24th June 2017

{ Sewing } Homage To A Mad Old Lady!

(This sewing post on a handmade 50s dress was originally on Bourbon and Bras on 3rd July 2013)

Years ago when fabric shopping, a kind yet mad woman wrapped me up in a makeshift sari, telling me that I would look make a “beautiful bride” for her son. I laughed the whole thing off, unwrapped myself and bought what I needed.

What I hadn’t seen is she’d thrown in a length of the fabric she’d wrapped around me! She told me “not to tell her husband” which confused me at the time, but once I’d got home and seen the fabric, I promised to make something pretty out of it and fondly remember that crazy woman.

Approximately four years later – I’ve finally used the fabric in a dress!

This dress uses the bodice from Butterick B5880, omitting the neckline notches, and has a pleated dirndl instead of the sarong skirt – and pockets!

I’m going to assume the fabric is a voile of some kind, and it’s frankly slippy as f-. Trying to get the checks to line up was a time consuming and ultimately fruitless labour of love.
But the fabric itself was nice to work with – it presses really quite crisp, isn’t so bad for fraying and my favourite part – you can shove it in a washing machine with no problem!

The dress itself, I love – it’s my favourite make so far. The bodice is roomy without making me look frumpy – and although .

I’d never made a pleated skirt before this, and it went by with only one problem – I had to take out pleats in the front for not having enough fabric. But it worked out nicely, I like the flatter front as it doesn’t make me look pregnant, which is always a bonus.

The only problem is that this fabric completely absorbs sunlight – whilst I was standing directly under the sun whilst on the Isle of Man, I was certain I was going to end up catching fire.