The Great Pattern Review

Butterick

#3012 - Making History: 1880s Ballgown (Out of Print)

Holly Messinger - Not Recommended, but useful.

The main problem with this pattern is that it's not historically accurate by any stretch of the imagination. I liked the lines of the bodice and assumed I could adapt it, which I did. In this pattern, the bodice and the front column skirt are sewn together. The attaching seam is low on the hips and covered by the cheesy looking drapery swag across the front. The train or overskirt at the back is detached and stuffed with pleated crinoline, which is, of course, inaccurate, but I guess it would be more comfortable to sit on than a bustle. I used the pattern pieces for the train, with another pattern piece from a column skirt for the front, pleated them at the back and came up with a fair imitation of a Victorian underskirt. (I plan to make an overskirt as soon as my patterns from Truly Victorian arrive.)
This pattern claims to be for an advanced sewer, but it's not difficult, just time-consuming. It has a lot of parts and pieces. A clever beginner could manage it with a little help. I would recommend it, perhaps, for amateur theater productions, because it uses far less fabric than an authentic Victorian gown and goes together faster. I made this top in three evenings of work (including the muslin cutting and fitting), then spent Sunday trimming it. I am an easy size to fit so I had little problem adapting the bodice, although you should do a muslin if fitting over a corset, as I did.

#3071 - Making History: Colonial Bodice, Skirt & Apron

Trystan L. Bass

I used a combination of both views I used the bodice of View A and the skirts of View B for a Halloween costume for Cathy in Wuthering Heights from the early scene where she's a ghost scratching through the bedroom window.The size and fit of this pattern were little off for me. I had to take the bodice in quite a lot, even though my measurements matched those on the pattern. Plus, the final bodice ended up a bit short-waisted on me (a problem I've never had before). The bodice zips up the back, but I easily changed it to more period-correct lacing. The shape of the bodice is fairly accurate (no darts or princess seams and the back seams are curved). If you add boning or wear it with a corset, it'll give a good historical silhouette. But, do make a muslin first to figure out the fit. Trystan is pictured on the right.

Stacy Rinner - Not Recommended

This pattern left much to be desired. Skip the directions. They are of little use. The pieces were a pain to put together; once you did, nothing really fit well enough on me. The sleeve was too short and tight. The bodice was too short and tight. Nothing in this pattern made sense. When it was put together it looked like it was made by someone in an elementary sewing class. It was that bad.

#3084 - Fast & Easy Capes (Out of Print)

Lisa Swehla - Recommended

This is a nice simple cape pattern. I found it preferable to the Folkwear Kinsdale cape.

#3187 - Victorian Dress and Bathing Suit (Out of Print)

Carmen Stone - Highly Recommended

I made this bathing suit in two afternoons. I used a ruffler to do the ruffle on the skirt. The pattern goes together very easily. It is a fun project.

#3310 - Evening Gown (Out of Print)

Annette Stubbs - Highly Recommended

Recomended for beginning-intermediate sewers. This is a great pattern for any ladies interested in Sci-Fi, in particular the Star Trek gala balls. The dress is fitted with a T-shape dog collar extending to a nice a-line skirt. I extended the skirt to make it full length. The pattern is princess-seamed, so it's very easy make and to use contrasting colors. I sewed it in burgundy with a gold panel down the front. This sews up very quickly. This is an old pattern. Look for it on eBay or one of the vendors selling discontinued patterns.

#3417 - Making History: 1890s Blouse, Sash & Detachable Collar (Out of Print)

Maura Burns - Recommended

I made this up in cotton velveteen with the detachable lace collar and an altered sleeve using the leg-of-mutton upper sleeve and adding deep bell cuffs to the lower sleeve. As Ann Helgeson (review below) notes, the sleeve stay is definitely necessary for any of the leg-of-mutton sleeves. My fabric has a fair amount of body to it, but it still doesn't hold the puff as nicely as I would like. I I were to do it again, I'd probably stuff the upper sleeve with net. The detachable collar didn't come out looking quite as nicely tiered as the pattern illustration would suggest; the two tiers are the same length. For a more defined look to the tiers, I might make the lower one a bit longer and gather it to the upper tier. The directions were clear; the pattern went together smoothly and the blouse looks very nice. Pictured at right.

Ann Helgeson - Recommended

I haven't sewn anything more complicated than curtain in years, but these two patterns were relatively easy. The shirtwaist was easy, although the directions were confusing about what step should be followed for views A, B, C, etc. The sleeve stay was a complete mystery. It was unclear from the directions whether it was even needed in View A. I almost left it out which would have caused a really droopy mutton chop sleeve. I added a lace collar around the bottom of the neckband from trim on an old dress found in a thrift shop. Pictured at right.

Leigh Ann Hildebrand

Easy to put together. The upper sleeve puffs collapse easily if the fabric isn't very stiff because they have no internal support other than the upper sleeve lining.

#3418 - Making History: 1890s Skirt

Ann Helgeson - Recommended

The skirt has a wonderful line to it and was very simple to sew. The whole ensemble was a great hit at our town's celebration of the train depot centennial. Pictured at right.

Juliana Aldrich - Recommended

This pattern is simple and straightforward, and a joy to use for beginning sewers or advanced seamstresses. It creates striking results on which I get complimented often. I altered the back so it wouldn't drag as a train but rather hang evenly for everyday wear. I've made several for everyday use out of many different fabrics and put horsehair in the hem so it stands out more in a lovely a-line drape. Be sure every piece is cut correctly on fabrics with nap or it will look very odd. This style seems to be flattering to most figures, though it seems to run just a little bit large.

#3552 - Medieval Gown

Christine Lorenz -
Highly Recommended

This is a nice pattern, very easy to use. All the pieces work together well. I made only one change using no zipper; I inserted a lacing. I am very pleased with this pattern. Pictured on left and center.

Daala Qwi -
Highly Recommended

I really liked this pattern; it was easy to put together (except for the fact that I used stretch velvet and used cotton lining). I did make a few alterations such as removing the train for more practicality, lifting the armband to mid-bicep, and inserted back lacing instead of a zipper. I highly recommend this pattern for someone who wants to make an early Tudor gown. Pictured on right.

#3640 - Making History: 18th c. Gown

Stacy Rinner

I am still working on this one. I am making two gowns from this pattern. Thus far, I have state the thing to watch is the sleeves. They require a huge amount of altering and adjusting to fit unless your arms are nothing but skin and bones (literially). This pattern has much detail. It requires one to be very patient.

#3648 - Making History: Men's Victorian Tailcoat Suit and Robe

Deborah Borlase - Recommended

I selected this pattern to go with my velvet bustled ladies because it seemed to be the simplest pattern that gave the look I was going for, but the pattern is not appropriate for accurate re-enacting.

Jacket: For the most part, it was relatively easy to make the jacket. The instructions were clear and the fit seemed to follow well. I made adjustments to the pattern as this was to be used for dancing. I extended the shoulders and flattened out the sleeve cap so that the shoulders would remain flat when the gentlemen raised their arms for dance position. I also lengthened the sleeves as I chose to not make the cuffs. I had not thought about how the sleeves would be finished, but I ended up making a facing on the inside to make it a bit prettier than just hand stitching the sleeve closed at the wrist. I could have stitched the sleeves together at the wrist and then attached the sleeve into the armscye, but I thought of that way too late. The most difficult part of this pattern was attaching the lining to the coat around the collar. Out of the six coats, I only had one where the inside corner of the collar came out OK and didn't require ripping threads out after it was turned and hand stitching closed. I liked the velvet and satin look. To make it more period, we would have needed to allow a bigger pleat in the back and not stitch it down, add more buttons along the sleeve and the back.

Pants: The pants were made by a friend, and because of the dance position, we decided to add an extension to the top of the pants to ensure that their shirts wouldn't show. The pants again followed the directions well. The front flap took a good deal of thought process, but my friend said that as long as he thought about it carefully, he figured out how it went together and all went smoothly. The crotch seam, however, came out way too low from the pattern, so he made sure to review the measurements we took of the gents and applied the measurement to the pattern for each pair of pants. The flap is a bit odd. The gents may have felt a bit drafty, as the sides of the flap open slightly. There were no pockets. Overall, the pattern came out really well; we are very pleased with the results. This was the most ambitious project I've ever worked on. Ilearned a bit more about tailoring. The biggest challenge I had was finding the right fabric for the pants. In spite of months of effort, I ended up settling for a lightweight beige lightly stretch fabric as the gray I was looking for could only be found in 8 yd increments of any one color, and I needed 14-16 yards for the six pairs.

Editor's Note: See the ladies in this group on the Truly Victorian page.

Ariyana Kylstram - Recommended

For intermediate sewers and above. This is the pattern with Father Christmas and an Early Victorian Gent on the cover. This was my first men's suit and it was a challenge, but not a stressful one, nor an impossible one. Read the directions through before you sew anything, and if need be, visualize how it's going to come together. Measure your gent's arms and the sleeves carefully. I ended up opting for the sleeves without the cuffs, and preferred that look greatly. I also found that a muslin helped with sizing the body of the coat, as my gent has broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The pants are only tricky in the drop-down flap area, but they look great once they're done.

#3713 - Making History: Queen Victoria Dress (Out of Print)

Leigh Ann Hildebrand - Not Recommended

This is the Queen Victoria dress. I made the bodice only, to go with an existing skirt. I was dubious about the sleeves, which look overlong and a bit too full; even after shortening them, I'm still unhappy with them. The pleated bertha won't sit flat over the bodice, especially not over the shoulders. The bodice is designed to be laced up the back, but the instructions don't call for boning the back edges. This creates nasty bunching at the lacing, as I expected. I inserted boning between the lacing eyelets and the back edges to correct this problem. The shoulders seem very restrictive to me. While I can waltz in this bodice, The Congress of Vienna (a dance which requires hand movements over the head) is nearly impossible. From a purely esthetic standpoint, I don't really like shallowness of the front point in the waist, either. Most of these problems could be fixed by modifying the pattern; however, I think there are better existing patterns for this look that don't require so much modification. About the only thing nice I can say about this pattern is that the lining ends up looking very finished because all seams are covered.

Liz Chapman - Not Recommended

Yuck! It's a very fussy pattern with droopy, complicated sleeves which were totally concealed by the attached collar. Why bother with all the layers of pleating if it does not show at all? As dress was intended as a stage costume, I was not impressed by the amount of hand sewing expected. The collar does not lie properly, and the fit is peculiar on the actress, requiring extra darts. Since a quick change into the dress was needed, I changed the back fasteners to hook and eye tape.

#3721 - Making History: Men's Victorian Coat and Vests

Dawn Duperault - Recommended

This men's pattern looked good from a historical point (pretty close for a modern costume pattern) and I chose it for an 1893 frock coat. The only thing I modified was the fullness of the lower half of the coat. This is a great pattern, however it is difficult and time consuming to assemble and I would not suggest it for the novice. I've been sewing for 20+ years and I spent far too much time trying to interpret the miserable directions. In at least one place the pattern is wrong. The breast coat pocket is marked wrong and will not go together as shown. In several other places the directions are either lacking completeness (ironing seams, trimming, folding, and basting steps all left out) or there is no illustration to clarify a complicated step.

#3765 - Misses' Historical Camisole (Out of Print)

Deborah Borlase - Recommended, with one caveat.

I started this intending to make something else, but that didn't work out so I went ahead & finished it as a chemise. I was happy with the result, but would have preferred the pattern had provided a way to finish the neckline & for any future chemise will use a narrow flat lace instead of ruffled wide. It is a good pattern for beginners.

#3906 - Wench Costume

Stacy Rinner

I haven't made up my mind about this pattern. It looks fun. This is another pattern one can have fun with altering the pattern for different effects. The bodice shoulder straps are rather deceiving. They are a slightly bit lower off the shoulder than it looks in the image.

#3986 - See 'n' Sew: Dress (Out of Print)

Elizabeth E. - Recommended

A modern day dress with 8-gore with princess seams that is easily adapted to a cotehardie. I add about 12-15 inches to the length of the pattern, and widen from the hips to the width of the doubled-over material (so I am cutting 2 pieces at the same time). This works on both 44" and 60" material. Of course you will get a fuller skirt with the 60" material.

#3993 - Men's Sherlock Holmes and "Bobby" Costume (Out of Print)

Carmen Stone - Recommended

Great pattern to work with, no issues at all. I omitted the sleeves for a more correct formal look for the period. I used a heavy suiting fabric and black heavy folded braiding for the edges of the caplet. For the collar I used black cotton velvet. I highly recommend this pattern.

#4091 - Making History: 1914 Basque Shirt (Out of Print)

Teresa Liao - Highly Recommended

I was so delightfully surprised by this pattern. While it still must be categorized as a 'costume' rather than a 'reproduction', I was impressed to see that the vluse has a fitted lining and that the sizing is extremely accurate, meaning I cut out the size recommended according to my measurements and it fit perfectly. How often does that actually happen? I did have a few issues with this pattern; namely, how off many of the collars look in the various views. While I did not do extensive research before starting this project, I just couldn't find any evidence that these types of collars were cut this way. They are close but, just off enough to be noticeable to the trained eye. I did attempt to do the collar in View B but, had problems with the curve of the collar working with the curve of the neckline. I was on a tight deadline so, rather than futz with it, I just went without a collar. I also shortened the sleeves out of personal preference and straightened out the front hem since I knew I would be tucking the blouse into a skirt. It does seem to run a bit on the short side, especially if you even the bottom out as I did. The bottom edge ended up coming JUST to my waist and I am short-waisted. Fortunately, this didn't end up being a problem as the skirt I wore was high-waisted. The front facing was a little tricky for me to figure out since some of the directions were really confusing. I ended up just doing it my own way (stitching the facing down to the lining on all sides so that it won't wrinkle and be difficult to iron in between the two layers). I treated the lining and facing as one piece.

#4092 - Making History: 1914 Basque Skirt (Out of Print)

Teresa Liao -
Highly Recommended

Like the blouse pattern (4091), this skirt is wonderfully simple to put together and accurately sized. I was on a very tight deadline to get this done. I chose this pattern hoping it would be quick. Imagine how happy I was to find out that it is fairly historically accurate as well. My main concern was that I would need to figure out how to substitute a period closure where the zipper would be. It turned out not to be a problem since there is no zipper. The pattern calls for a placket with a hook and eye closure. I didn't waste any precious sewing time on a 'zipper issue'. Pictured at left.

Kendra van Cleave - Highly Recommended

This skirt was the perfect base for my 1910 Wings of the Dove dress (the design copied from the film). I used the Underskirt pattern as is and redrafted the skirt pattern to create a wrap skirt effect. I copied the pleating from the original dress. The pattern pieces were very simple and fit well. I didn't use the sewing instructions so I can't comment on them, but the fact that the pattern went togther easily speaks well of the pattern design. Pictured at center.

Jennifer Howard - Highly Recommended

I decided to make a skirt to go with an Edwardian blouse and hat I already owned. I am happy how it turned out. I made most of it in one night. I had to run back to the store because I had forgotten to buy lining fabric and fusible interfacing. I thought the skirt was quite easy to put together. I was very surprised how easy it was and how nicely it turned out. I am not the best seamstress by any means. Without distractions, it wasn't that hard. I did the heming and embellishments while watching a movie. Pictured at right.

#4093 - Making History: Tunic, Gown & Girdle circa 1914 (Out of Print)

Caren Johannes - Recommended with reservations.

I'm an experienced sewer but, I haven't sewn anything complicated in years. This dress was fairly easy. It's probably not accurate, as are many of the patterns in the Making History series. I couldn't find any dresses from the period that resembled this when I researched it. The abbreviated, awful instructions found in too many Butterick patterns are here in force. Even worse, several of the illustrations are incorrect or unclear. The pattern calls for 60-inch wide fabric for the outer tunic, and they mean it because the tunic pattern won't fit on the fabric! You can use 45-inch wide material for the tunic but. you'll have a seam down the front which actually may help with fit and prevent the tunic shoulders from drooping. Several careful fittings during construction are a must. Ignore the instructions on seaming the sleeves together if you're using sheer fabric; you're better off using French seams. If you have heavy upper arms, you may have to cut the sleeves larger at the shoulder. I used a satin and didn't bother to add the trim called for at the bottom of the tunic, as the pattern construction makes a self trim ribbon.

#4210 - Making History: Historical Hats

Katie Vardijan - Highly Recommended

I made the 19th century bonnet. The pattern was very straightforward and went together easily but I didn't exactly follow the instructions to the letter. For example, the pattern asks you to glue the wire to the buckram. I sewed it down with a zig zag stitch. The pattern also asks you to glue the brim binding to the hat but I elected to sew it to the brim instead. I also got a little creative with the lining and the trim. It is a very good basic pattern. Wearing it proved to be more of a challenge as it kept slipping back but once I shoved a nice long hat pin along the crown it stayed on all day just fine. Pictured on the left.

Frannie Germeshausen

I love the way this turned out, but there are a couple of major issues. The instructions call for the crown to be glued together and the crown to be glued into the brim. Since the covering has been fused to the buckram, there's no way to hand sew it. Through the course of a day in which the hat was on and off a few times, with large hatpins being stuck back through, part of the crown did come unglued. Also, diameter of the crown was larger than the diameter of the opening in the brim to receive it. By a bunch. It was pretty easy to fix (just outlining the crown in chalk on the brim and re-cutting) but why should it have been that way??? Also, it wobbles. At Lynne's bonnet class, I learned I should have doubled the buckram. Always glad to provide a bad example. The instructions for decorating the hat involve piles of drapery and flowers and feathers and stuff. While this is legit, I went for a simpler Gainsborough look - hat band and giant bow, and 3 huge feathers. Yeah, simpler. Pictured above-right.

Margaret Vallas - Not Recommended

View B - This was the first bonnet I ever made. It was easy to make and makes a very pretty bonnet. However all it did for the whole day was fall off my head – it wouldn’t stay up for barely a second. Very disappointed. If you choose to make this pattern, you better have hat pins, lots of hair in which to pin them, and be indoors away from any kind of wind!

#4254 - Making History: Misses Stays and Corsets

Jana Keeler - Highly Recommended

I made View C. This is one of the simplest corsets I've ever made. I especially like the high back on this one (so be causeful if you're doing a low-cut ballgown). Instead of using a front busk and back lacing I sewed the back pieces together and used grommets up the front. I also only used one-layer of a very heavy duck fabric. This was also one of the corset examples I used in the "Quickie Corsets" class at Costume Academy 2005. I made it to see how quick I could make it up. I cut it our Friday night and finished it by Saturday evening (that included doing other things around the house -- not just straight sewing). Instead of spring steel bones I bought 14" plastic cable ties for boning. If you are long waisted be sure to measure; it seems to run short. Adjust your pattern and do a muslin to make sure it fits you well. Once you have your adjusted pattern you can make a lot of this corset in many different colors and fabric styles. I love this pattern! Claudine de Montigny is modeling the corset made by Jana.

Donna S. O'sin Jones - Recommended

I have made View A twice; once in a combined size 6/8 and once in a combined size 22/18. I ignored the call for plastic boning, using steel boning in all casings longer than 4 inches. For the first corset (the smaller size), I used a purple brocase, backed with purple cotton for the outer fabric and coutil for the inner fabric. Be warned that stitching all those boning casings will require an awful lot of thread. For my own corset, I used spiral steel in the horizontal casings over the bust line and a mixture of spiral, 1/4" and 1/2" wide white steel bones for most of the other bone casings. I made my own bias binding from black silk to bind all the edges of the stays. I made my own handstitched eyelets with cotton embroidery floss, instead of applied grommets. The other corset was made of silver silk dupioni, backed with black cotton and coutil again for the inside. After stitching the casing and inserting all the bones, I added a lining to this larger corset to allow for spiral lacing, which is more historically accurate for the period. I've noticed one issue with this pattern. The instructions have you stitch and bone every row across the bust line, and the vertical bones below the bust stop at the horizontal casings. This causes the boning across the bust line to roll inward, which is really frustraing and needs constant adjusting. I've been thinking of ways to counteract this problem. I'm considering boning only every other row across the bust line and running the vertical bones in the center and side fronts all the way up. Overall, I find the pattern to be very satisfactory and reasonablly historically correct (for the 18th c. stays; I haven't made the other styles included in the pattern). I found the directions to be clear and easy to follow. Be aware that the actual garment measurements are such that there is no ease (that is, the garment and body measurements are the same). If you want this corset to pull you in, you may want to go down a size or more. The finished stays are VERY low cut. If you plan to wear this as an outer garment, you will want to have something on underneath the stays to preserve your modesty. If you are long-waisted, you will definitely want to lengthen this pattern; it is fairly short through the torseo. I recommend this pattern for anyone with the desire for a relatively historical look and the patience to sew all those bone casings.

#4419 - Making History: Misses' Cloaks

Lisa Prindle - Highly Recommended

View B. I whipped this lined cloak up for a St. Patrick's Day Parade, and I made a point of interlining it with heavy fleece to stay warm - it worked wonderfully! The hood fits well and isn't droopy, and lays flat like a lovely collar when not worn. It assembled quickly, but you will need yards and yards and yards of trim to make it look like the pattern envelope. I am very pleased with the Making History series of patterns.

#4486 - Making History: Mens/Misses Shirt

Julie E. Washington

This pattern, part of Butterick's "Making History" series, includes four versions of a men's shirt with and without collars and front and cuff ruffles. I made the version with the front ruffles for a friend who wanted a pirate shirt. There are a lot of fiddly bits that all need to be interfaced. I felt the pattern was overly complicated when it came to attaching the ruffles and plackets containing the lacing holes. I couldn't figure out what the directions wanted me to do (several steps were squished into one tiny diagram), then when I did understand, it didn't seem like a very good idea in terms of having a shirt that would hold up to multiple washings. I just did my own thing, which looked OK. I also had a little trouble attaching the collar and had to fudge it, but that could be my lack of experience with collars. The shirt looks great now that it's done, but be prepared to struggle a bit. The ruffle-free versions might be easier.

#4571 - Making History: Medieval Gown

Terrilee Mikulus - Recommended

While maybe not the most period accurate, it makes up fairly easily and quickly. It is easy to alter; all in all it's a great costume. I think the finished product is nice. I used crushed panne and silk dupioni which didn't make for the easiest combination since panne is stretchy and tends to roll. The pieces didn't always match up but, that's a bad choice on my part not any failing of the pattern. The directions call for a back lacing but, no boning. The lack of boning causes bunching at the back closure. I recommend adding the boning yourself on either side to keep this problem from happening.

#4790 - Retro Butterick '52: Misses' Wrap Dress (formerly #6172)

Tamara Schirrmacher -
Highly Recommended

Very easy. I lowered the neckline which was a simple adjustment. There are no facings; all the edges are bound. This is easy to do but, requires a medium weight fabric for the best result. I used a very light, sheer crepe and bound it in a fabric of a different weight and lined my crepe in yet another fabric. The result is a charming dress but, it would hang much better if I had used fabrics of comparable weights and body. The back piece is almost a full circle -- another reason my very lightweight fabric was not a good choice. Pictured left and center.

Alysse Lehner - Highly Recommended

This is the first dress I ever made. I think it turned out well. It was easy. If you have a full bust, you'll want to lengthen the torso front piece; otherwise, the bust darts will be too high and the dress will be shorter in front. Her dress is on the right.