Vintage Butterick 6282 is a happy shift from the monotony of darts.
Sewing gathers is a nice change-of-pace for a full busted vintage girl. Don’t get me wrong- I can talk darts with you until the cows come home, but it’s nice to get something different.
The problem is, when you’re a girl with a larger chest and a small frame, its easy to get pigeon-holed into the same sort of design over and over.
The 1940s, really brought on gathers with a vengeance, and when I had the opportunity to pick a design for the Flags of the World/4th of July Proud project, I was 100% ready for it.
The drafting details on Vintage Butterick 6282 were a fun departure from the standard.
This pattern calls for:
- Shoulder pads (!!)
- Voluptuous sleeves
- Gathers on the shoulders and waist in lieu of darts
- Decorative buttonholes
- Facings as far as the eye can see
- Continuous loops on sleeve hems
My video tutorial for Vintage Butterick 6282 dives into doing a full bust adjustment on this dress.
Before I really got into sewing this piece, I really had to take some time to decide my size and whether or not a full bust adjustment (FBA) would even be necessary.
If you’re new to sewing, I HIGHLY recommend listening to Sewing Out Loud Episode STOP! Before you FBA— which discusses the topic at length and encapsulates all my feelings regarding the topic- especially with a garment such as Butterick B6282, which inherently has a lot of ease worked in.
Essentially (for me), my thought process was this:
- Vintage Butterick 6282 has several inches of ease around the bust
- Pick your normal size, pre-FBA
- Make the first muslin to see if the ease that’s worked into the piece is enough for a comfortable fit
- When I realized it didn’t have enough, do a tiny FBA (normal amount, 2+ inches; this pattern, I did about 1in)
Would I recommend an FBA for this particular vintage sewing pattern?
It really depends on how much ease you want in this garment and how much pulling you’re getting at the armhole when you rotate your arm. If you’re like me, you might be ok with just a tiny FBA to add a little extra room without going crazy.
However, its important to note that I could have gone with the pattern straight out of the envelope when it came to the bodice. The extra inch I added wasn’t 100% necessary, though I would have done it regardless to be absolutely sure the buttons wouldn’t gape.
Getting Started
Before you get started, please watch the following videos:
Also, gather your tools:
- Rulers (clear straight ruler, french curve)
- Dot paper (or tracing paper)
- Mechanical pencil and eraser
Step One
Trace and sew up your first muslin to check the fit out of the envelope. During the cutting process, please be sure to draw in all your pattern markings because this pattern has 20 pieces (!!) and will need to have everything line up, including your waist line.
For the initial fitting, I decided to use a rolled up sock to emulate the shoulder pads that would be needed for this design, seen at timestamp 1:54.
Things to watch for:
- When gathering up the bottom line of stitching, make sure it “matches” the skirt pattern piece to get an accurate waist fit
- Check if the waist line matches your natural waist (time stamp 2:20)
- Check if the center back line is straight
- Check if the center front line matches your center front (time stamp 2:50)
Adjustments covered start at timestamp 2:56. Immediately off the bat, I shorten the bodice and do a swayback adjustment (all standard for me!)
Step Two
After completing your second muslin, check for your full bust adjustment at this point, timestamp 4:39.
As noted above, be aware that vintage Butterick 6282 does have ease built into it- but it ALSO is a design that requires style-ease. Measure the distance between the center front line and your body’s center front, and proceed to the adjustment.
Starting at timestamp 5:20, draw out your FBA lines as you might normally do on a regular bodice. There are a total of three lines right off the bat:
- Waist dart
- Side dart
- Line to the armscythe
While a bodice like the one in B6282 doesn’t have traditional darts, gathers themselves serve the same purpose.
- Waist gathers = waist dart
- Side dart = create a temporary dart for fitting purposes
- Line to armscythe
Following along at 7:15, you can rotate the temporary side dart closed and rotate the fullness to the gathers. I opted to rotate my dart 100% to the gathers on the shoulder, however you can rotate them 100% to the waist, or even split the rotation between both the waist and shoulder gathers. This is a style choice and you can find what you like!
Step Three
Check the sleeves! I didn’t dive in with my full heart and soul into the sleeve adjustments. and in my video, starting at 9:10, I went through the process very intuitively. Luckily, it worked out in my favor and the sleeves really worked for me, but I do have to spend some time building up my resources and skills in this area.
However, please take note that the sleeve head should be large for the 1940s design! If you’re not wearing a shoulder pad, this pattern will not fit right, either. Even my boyfriend’s socks were enough to give myself the silhouette for the muslin- use what you have!
Hopefully this video tutorial helps you in sewing your vintage Butterick 6282!
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If you’re not sure about how to get involved, please check out the YouTube channels and Instagram accounts of the girls below. Deadline to submit your work is July 7th, 2017!
- Renata
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfU4S-CfOQ0hrdYDRQA8e_Q
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningnstyle/ - Judith Dee
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JujuchildofGod
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/judithdeecreations/ - Akram
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/akramsideas
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akramsideas/
Prizes involved with this sewing event are below!!:
- $50 gift card from LA Finch Fabric
https://www.lafinchfabrics.com/ - $50 voucher towards a class at Sewing and Design School
https://www.sewinganddesignschool.com/ - Free Pattern from Dressy Talk Patterns
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DressyTalkPatterns
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