Butterick 4790, only.... Not!!

Ok everyone... I've been dying to get this finished so I could show you, I'm SOOO excited and I think you all will be too!:D

Lookie what I found! And how easy it will be for all of you to adapt your 4790 dress patterns to make yourselve's one! :p
It's nice to just see another option for the neckline and some sort of sleeve!!

All the fun of the 4790, but with only about 2 yards of fabric and less time!

I had some scrap gingham laying around, and *barely* got the pieces cut out, in fact~ I had to piece a section together but it's in the back wrap part so you can't see.
By the way, I could not for the life of me judge the right/wrong side of this fabric!

The pattern is a 32 bust and I'm a 36. I don't know how to up-size patterns, this is only the second garment I've ever made from a pattern, the first being the actual 4790.... (you can see that here)

So, I decided I would just cut the pattern a half inch larger all around, and could always take it in.
It also stated no hem allowances and I wasn't sure what that meant!
Anyhoo, I wish I had just cut it out as it was, I think it would've fit just fine. I have to tie it pretty tight to fit me. I'm going to sew it together under the arms like I did the dress.

This blouse cost me less than $5 all together, I found the eyelet at a thrift store and had to buy two packs of bias tape.

And here's the finished product~

~*O.E.O*~

Hello and welcome to the Wizard of Oz Gala,

hosted by

Twyla and Lindsey at Two Crazy Crafters!

To get the party started, let's have some wine~ shall we?
Back in April, we went to see a Wizard of Oz museum in Wamego, KS and next to it was a great little winery; Oz Winery. I just LOVE their logo, cool eh?
The wine was wonderful! I've never experienced such a good wine tasting, there was *something* special in each one.

Isn't the tin ceiling gorgeous!?
It was hard to decide which wine to take home.... so it came down to which bottle I liked best, lol! I chose the O.E.O. An incredible, flavorful dry red wine with a hint of vanilla. They all had cute names too, such as Witch in a Ditch~
Ok... let's get on down the yellow brick road... (just don't drink and drive!)
Here I am in my ruby slippers, ready for some candy a few years ago~
This was about the third time I had worn the outfit for Halloween. The dress is very special to me because my Grandma helped me make it. Not to mention I was huge when I first wore it... and had to take it in twice, woohoo!
Nova was only 18 months old! Doesn't he make a "dandy" lion?
I looked all over for a good tutorial for Dorothy's hair. These are the best two,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRoxdOPQvdE
andhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wttn0HoLDrw
Both of them always have awesome hair videos.
I do my Dorothy 'do a bit differently, but much like the first video. I wanted to do a tutorial for you but didn't get around to it. Plus, it would've been alot better before I cut my long red hair and dyed it brown~

My hair was layered in that pic so I had no fluff to curl at the ends.

Being a hairdresser, I can't help myself but watch the hairstyles in movies like a hawk. I can always tell when scenes were redone, ect.
Look at how short and kind of thin Dorothy's braids/curls are in the black and white segment... and then notice how many times her extensions change during the scarecrow scene. Cracks me up! Her haircolor varies as well throughout the film; reds are notorious for that... Just like Rose in Titanic.

Before getting to Wamego, we stopped in Kansas City for a Wiz exhibit at Crown Center.

Nova liked pretending to be a tree...

And melting the Wicked Witch!

I made a special dress just for the trip, in Wizard of Oz fabrics. (Hi Colleen!)

The pattern is Retro Butterick 4790.

Help, help!!
Going into the haunted forrest inside the Wamego museum... ooooohhhh I DO beleive in spooks!!
I enjoyed seeing all the different books by Baum, such beautiful covers! Both the Crown Center and Wamego exhibits were fun, filled with tons of memoralbia. Lots of dolls, books, and info. I bought a book, "The Wizardry of Oz".

A must for Wiz collectors!

Next up.... you just won't beleive your eyes!

An amazing hand made quilt by Sarah Lassiter. She quilted every scene in amazing detail! I love how she used the sepia fabrics for the black and white parts.

Dorothy and Glinda's dresses were 3-D! These photos do not do her talent justice. I stood there in awe for quite a while!

I didn't touch it, honest! I just held my finger up to show the scale and unbelievable detail. Did you see the little hand stitched monkeys flying out of the witch's castle?

Do you know who this is?
Why, it's Billie Burke! She played Glinda. Isn't she beautiful? She was born in 1884, can you believe it? She was 55 years old when she played the good witch of the North~


I tried loading a copy of a cassette tape recording of me reciting the WIZ when I was 8 years old... er, almost 30 years ago. It is quite a hoot! But youtube rejected it for length, so back to the drawing board. I'll figure it out some time!

Thanks for "dropping in"! You'll have to catch a balloon ride or click your heels to get home. But before you go, be sure to visit the other participants in the Wizard of Oz Gala over at Twyla and Lindsey's!

You may also see my past posts on OZ, which include the Wamego, KS OZ museum, how I made my poppies dress, and how to make your own Ruby Slippers! Click here.
What's more, many photos can be seen and enlarged on all of the above in my flickr album.

Happy 70th Anniversary

OZ!
*And don't forget, the Gone With the Wind Ball is coming up! Click the button in my sidebar for details!

There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home...

We are back! It was a fun little trip. I'll start with the Wizard of Oz museum in Wamego, KS. I *thought* that it was a little farm house built out in the middle of no where like the film. But when we got into town, it was inside an old store-front building. This was their window display, very clever with the black and white look!

Once inside, I saw that they had built a little farm house for the exhibit. You pay at the window, then walk through the door to "OZ".

Here's the other side of the house, after falling from the sky!

The tin ceilings were awesome.

Who killed my sister? Who killed the wicked witch of the East? Was it YOU??

Lions and tigers and bears, OH MY!
I DO believe in spooks, I DO believe in spooks,

I do-I do-I do-I do-I DO believe in spooks!
*O*E*O*
Poppies!
That's it for today, I took over 400 pictures, EEK!

Today is my birthday and I'm just putzin' around the house.

Had to go get my driver's license renewed, woohoo....

Thank you for your warm comments on my first sewing project, this Butterick 4790 dress! Unfortunately, we were the only ones in the museum at this time, (it was near closing time).

We're off to see the Wizard!

Poppies! Poppies will put them to sleep... sleeeeeeeep.

Now they'll sleeee-eep.....

We're taking a little trip to Kansas City this weekend to celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. (and my birthday!)


There is an exhibit at Crown Center, and then we will drive about another 100 miles to Wamego to the WOZ museum there.


I was going to post some more Titanic related stuff, but I got busy this week sewing my FIRST PATTERN ever! I decided to make a dress for the WOZ event when I saw all the great anniversary fabric they have out. I promise there will be more Titanic posts later!

So, I've actually made two dresses this past week, the first was a trial. I'm so excited that I've actually put a pattern together that I cannot wait to sew more!

The pattern is the famous "walk away" dress. The Butterick 4790 pattern. A re-issue of the original 6015. It has also been number 7500.

The following info is from http://vintagepatterns.wikia.com/wiki/Butterick_6015
Quick & Easy One Piece Wrap Dress. Here's the smartest idea of the season . . . a dress that has only back waist and shoulder seams, that has its back wrapped around to the front for a sheath-and-overskirt look. Binding finishes the edges. Wear it for any occasion. Made from just 3 pattern pieces, no facings!


Here's a look at the history of the Walk-away Dress:
During the 1950's, Butterick experienced a phenomenon it had not known since the 'Garibaldi Suit' of the late 1860's. It was pattern 6015, and it was dubbed the 'walk-away' dress, because it was so easy you could "Start it after breakfast... walk-away in it for luncheon!".


It's simple yet flattering wrap design and easy construction were what made it so popular. Sales of the pattern were so great, that at one point manufacturing of all other patterns ceased, and only the 'walk-away' dress was produced until all back-orders for this dress could be filled.
Fabrics - crepe, taffeta, faille, satin, velveteen, shantung, gingham, chambray, cotton prints, linen, pique, cotton broadcloth, light weight wool crepe, silk.


I read many reviews and have seen tons of awesome specimens of this dress!


Here are my notes on the pattern.... Now before I show you, let me tell you that it is quite obnoxious. I know the underskirt fabric is not "appropriate" for this pattern, but I don't care. I like it and wanted to use it~



Ok, I cut the shoulders at a size 14, but kept the neckline at an 8.I cut the rest of the dress to fit a 12. I sewed the breast darts at an 8, but the rest of the darts at a 10. Sounds crazy maybe, but it fits.It's a trifle snug in the waist, but I did that on purpose as I am up a few pounds right now.


I rounded off the skirt edges, which I now rather regret as I wasn't thinking it would hang like a jabot. Oh well. I also extended the waist line that wraps around the back as far as I could; all the way to the salvage edge of the fabric. Then I rounded off the edges on the bottoms there as well. After sewing the bias tape to the entire underskirt, it didn't ride up like it had before. I think rounding off the edges really helps to keep it from getting caught in the overskirt and causing it to ride up too.


I didn't have enough poppy fabric for the back bodice so I sewed two pieces together.


Oh! I also sewed the back to the front right where it crosses under the arms. Yes, I have to wriggle a bit to get in and out of it, but it's alot better than dealing with shifting all day long!



Soooo, without further adieu...

Nova told me I need snow for the poppies, lol! Too cute!



Yes, I could've just worn my "Dorothy" dress... but I've worn it so many times, and it would be expected right? : P

I bought the orange shoes at Old Navy. But they were $30. (I thought they were only $20 when I bought them.) I've decided I cannot do $30 for a pair of shoes and they are going back. They are VERY comfortable tho!

I like the green ones better anyway. I'll be on the look out for some yellow shoes!

Kevin actually likes my ruby slippers with it, but I don't want to be dropping red glitter everywhere all day, lol! I'm taking them along just in case.

To see more notes and pics on this dress, click here.

If you do a google image search for Butterick 4790 you'll see many of the wonderful versions out there, along with great reviews. Thanks to all of you out there who have made this dress, you made taking the plunge a lot easier for me!