Butterick 6705 review

As former Love Sewing Editor it’s was so nice to be back in the pages of the magazine, to share a review for this lovely dress. My new column also begins in issue 101 so it’s two lots of Amy for the price of one this month!

Butterick 6705 is one of the pattern gifts for the issue, provided in the full range of sizes. You can pick up a copy of the magazine at all good supermarkets or online at craftstash.co.uk

For B6705 I made view A but with a couple of small changes. I used the sleeve construction from view B but cut to mid-arm. And I used the skirt length of view C. Mixing and matching pattern elements is such a satisfying way to get the exact dress you like.

Fitting wise my Bust Waist and Hip measurements are 36A : 33 : 45 so I made a size 12 in the upper body and graded from a 12 at the waist to 14 at the hip. I’m quite petite in my upper body with very narrow shoulders so I lowered the neckline by 2cm so it sat in the right place, and as I found the two-piece sleeves slightly too large, I removed 2cm along the overarm seam.

Like many of us, I overindulged during lockdown and had the fear that an empire line dress might highlight my midriff weight gain but to my delight, this beautiful skirt skims over my lower half and flares out. It somehow also makes me feel much taller than I am.

The under bust construction forms a beautiful v shaped seam. My top tip is to pin each side individually and start sewing from the centre point out to the sides on each part of the seam. I’m also pleased to report you can customise the length of your keyhole so if you don’t want to reveal too much you can sew it a little further than the pattern notch.

This beautiful green and black floral is a deadstock viscose challis from rainbowfabrics.co.uk, who specialise in excess stock from fashion houses. But with great prices and limited quantities you have to act quick when shopping the website! With viscose challis being prone to stretching, it’s important to let your curved hem hang for 24 hours to allow for any drop in the fabric and then recut. And to aid my invisible zipper, I added a thin strip of interfacing to support the centre back seam.

My dress makes me feel like a James Bond femme fatale. And at the same time, a model from fashion line Vampire’s Wife (whose dresses suit the name entirely). And though I can’t pull off a dreamy faraway stare, I feel very elegant in it.