Butterick 5736 - the Red, White, and Blue!

To all my friends in the US, Happy Fourth of July!

And to all my international friends,

thank you for joining in the celebration!

I made a top especially for the occasion! It has been waiting patiently for its showcase day...



This cute pattern is Butterick 5736 See and Sew. The red version caught my eye, not just the color, but also the pleated folds above the hem. A little something different. (I am not at all interested in the wrap style...it doesn't even look nice in the envelope cover pic!)


I sewed the pattern in a very fresh cotton from ACMoore, one of my favorite minibolts once again. Almost but not quite a ditsy print, it is a calico and sewed like a dream. Being a mid-weight and fairly tightly woven, it really does not wrinkle or ravel. I just love calico.

All my photos are a bit under-lit. Mr. sun is nowhere to be seen, it's just me and the mosquitoes here. So brave, I took these on the trot, believe me!

I did make a few alterations to the pattern :-)

• I redrafted the neckline from a boatneck into a scoop-neck! The original neckline felt very close to my face, a bit stifling. And I think a woman's chest is one of her best features. So - changed it, love it. At center front, the neckline was lowered 3 1/4 " as a result.
• After measuring the length from the shoulder to the gathering line below the bust, I added 1" to the bottom of the bodice. I did not want the elastic to grab me and pull-up at this feature of the tunic.
• No darts, so no bust apex concerns. Also plenty of room in the back bodice.
• And last, I made a sloping shoulder adjustment on my right side.

 I made one more set of changes in how I cut and sewed the skirt pieces  - they help with the formation of the elastic casing (and I do this all the time):

• I cut the upper edge of the skirt pieces with a 1" seam allowance.
• Then serged the upper skirt edges.
• When I sewed the skirt to the bodice, I kept the bodice seam allowance at 5/8", the skirt at 1".

The bodice seam allowance is subsequently trimmed and the skirt allowance is pressed up towards the bodice. It is turned in and stitched to form the casing for the elastic.

• The serged edge prevents ravelling. And makes it very easy to turn in the edge of the seam allowance!
• And the extra width of the seam makes forming the casing soooo much easier.

I think it is adorable! Can see this top in many fabrics, with leggings and boots and turtlenecks and scarfs...versatile. The folds at the bottom really have my interest and will appear before long on something else from the loft.

Ciao! Coco