My first sewing project was Butterick Pattern B6222 by Connie Crawford. I choose this pattern because it appeared versatile in the design, loose fitting and not your grannies dress. I purchased the pattern from Jo-Ann’s (It’s the only retail fabric store I know of in my area; except for Wal-Mart). I paid $11.97 which is 40% off the regular price of $19.95. (I probably could have purchased it cheaper online and I wasn’t sure if Wal-Mart still sold Butterick).
What I already knew.
I figured I already had a good foundation to stand on, since I had been helping my mother sew for as long as I could remember. I personally already have the basic equipment and supplies I needed to begin, however if your completely new to sewing and need a guide on the type of equipment and supplies to buy for a beginner. Jo-Ann’s Fabric Store has a handy dandy brochure called, “Sew 101 Guide” and it’s free. I picked one up at the store, but it can also be downloaded from their website at
The back of the pattern contains all the information needed to determine your size, type of fabric, interfacing and notions. I chose the style with the contrasting colors and found a rayon blend to use in purple and a light-weight knit for the contrast in white. The invisible zipper was easy to find along with the interfacing and matching thread.
The instructions at the beginning were easy enough to follow for the style I wanted to make, so I discovered while laying out the fabric and pattern pieces, pinning and cutting proved no difficult task. (I’ll go over pinning and cutting in another post).
What I didn’t know.
I have come to find out one very important fact about sewing with a pattern.
Ø Look at the Skill level.
At the time I didn’t realize it, but I found out later that each pattern is categorized on a scale of difficulty. Butterick’s guide is called Ease of sewing – Know before you sew. Lesson learned. (Thank you Butterick).
This patterns level is Average difficulty. Okay, like me your wondering “What does that mean”?
“Average- These patterns are perfect if you have more time to sew, and more experience sewing. Look for challenging designer techniques, tailoring, unique construction details. Expect more fitting and inner construction. Find more variety in fabrics from the stretchiest knits to synthetic leathers and suedes.”
Butterick Sewing Rating https://butterick.mccall.com/node/38
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| You can find the Sew Rating on the front or back of the pattern. Here it is located below the dress picture. |
I should have read this description first. How was I supposed to know this? All I wanted was to sew myself a nice dress. In hindsight, now I know and so do you.
My next mistake was finding out that all interfacing is not created equal. That I will have to discuss in another post.
The next item of difficulty for me was the contrasting overlay on the front of the dress. I probably sewed it on and took it apart three times before I finally got it right. The instructions were very confusing, and trying to figure out which way to lay the contrast over the dress in the correct position, even gave my husband nightmares. I now realize pinning the overlay to the dress first, in order to make sure it is positioned properly, will save everyone time in the future.
Now, on to the zipper! The hardest part of putting in the zipper wasn’t the zipper, but the interfacing. Right away It came to me, that the wrong type of interfacing was purchased, and if I would have had the correct interfacing, this task would have been much easier.
Finishing the Dress
Once the dress was put together I found myself with the task of finishing the inside seams as well as the sleeves and hemline. I had no ideas on how to do this, and make it look nice at the same time, without using a serger. My resource for figuring this out was Youtube.com. After a long search on youtube.com I came across this video below, which helped me out a lot.
The video is about 35 minutes long in which she thoroughly goes over several different techniques.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, I will be making this dress again, and that is because I love the way it drapes and flows. With the next dress, I will try a different fabric, as well as implement some different changes in my techniques.
Despite my difficulty with the pattern, and the instructions for the overlay, which seemed more confusing than helpful, I give “Butterick Pattern B6222” on a scale of 1 to 5, an ambitious 4.
I’m looking forward to reviewing this pattern again.
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