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Pattern Review: Butterick 6241

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Pattern name

Butterick 6241, View A

Butterick 6241

Butterick 6241

Size range

6-22

B6241 size chart and finished garment measurements

B6241 finished garment measurements

What size did you make?

I cut a 20 at the shoulders, grading out to a 22 at the bust, waist, and hips.

What are your measurements, height, and body type?

48″-42″-51″

What adjustments did you make and how long did they take?

For my first go-round with this dress, I wanted to skip the fussy parts (aka the zipper and/or raw seamed neckline), so I modified the front center piece by essentially not cutting the fabric where the zipper is supposed to be inserted, and by keeping the turtleneck one piece (just the seam in the back).

Modified turtleneck with zipper removed

Modified turtleneck with zipper removed

Here’s where I went wrong: I had recently sewed B6213, which has a similar line drawing and a similar feel – the idea is a semi-fitted knit dress with deep pockets. The main obvious differences are that B6241 has a turtleneck (as opposed to a scoop neckline) and much bigger, deeper pockets with more drape. With most “Big 4” patterns, I can comfortably size down, and B6213 was no exception. As a result, I didn’t make a muslin and just cut my very pretty, very soft, very expensive (for me) Art Gallery knit in a size 20 at the shoulders, grading to a size 22 below the shoulders. Yes, it was significantly smaller than my actual measurements, but I was pretty confident that past experience could be my guide. I cut out the pieces, serged them together with a generous 5/8 inch seam allowance, and assumed that all would be well.

WRONG.

This dress is VERY VERY snug. The pockets are gigantic and provide lots of “swingy-ness” but the front center panel and entire back verge on body-con. EVERY SINGLE bump and roll is plainly visible in an extremely unflattering way. I was prepared for it to be more close-fitting than the model, who is practically wearing a sack, but imagine my surprise when I pulled the final product over my head to discover I had basically created a wiggle dress. (Note: because of the multiple-panel construction, it’s impossible to try on and amend as you go – so if you’re concerned about sizing this would be a good one to baste first.)

Big pockets and a bodycon back.

Big pockets and a bodycon back.

What was the construction process like? Did the instructions make sense to you?

Construction was a snap, and it came together very quickly in a single evening. (Note: following the complete directions with the zipper, etc. will probably double the amount of time spent sewing, so plan accordingly.) My only complaint is that there is a LOT of topstitching in this pattern and it’s really easy to pull/stretch your fabric when topstitching miles of seams. (I used my regular sewing machine with a small zig zag stich to allow stretch, but I suspect there might be a better way – coverstitch machine, maybe?) I spent a lot of time steaming and pressing the seams back into shape, but after a wash/dry I noticed some of the waviness had returned. You’ve been warned!

How do you like the pattern’s fit? Do you think the design works well for your particular body shape?

Um, you can see the photos right? I believe that “not flattering” is a very kind way of putting it. Honestly, even with a larger size I don’t think this pattern would be flattering on me. Here’s why:

  • Turtlenecks are the devil for well-endowed ladies. I look like a cross between a linebacker and my grandma, who gifted me with her high, deep bust – thanks Gram!) I love a looser cowl neck, but this one was too tight for my preference. I guess the model on the pattern cover had a pencil neck… Even with a zipper to give me a v-neckline when partially unzipped, I don’t think this neckline would ever be a showstopper.
  • Pockets are too deep – I love having a place to stow my hands, but these pockets go all the way to the hemline. That means anything you drop in there is going into an abyss. I slid my phone in to test the stretch factor, and not only did it obviously droop (pulling down the hem and making me look lopsided) but I couldn’t get it out. When I bent over, the hemline dropped accordingly, and I ended up having to pull the skirt up to a near-indecent length in order to grab the phone. Not cool.
  • The pockets don’t drape right – the pattern cover and line drawing seem to indicate that the pockets should drape in several graceful folds. Even with my thin, soft, drapey fabric I didn’t get those folds. Instead, I got a saggy pocket that frequently showed the back side of the fabric. Pro tip: choose a fabric where both sides look similar to avoid looking like you are partially inside-out.
Bodycon front and big, droopy pockets

Bodycon front and big, droopy pockets

Will you make the pattern again? If so, what fit or design changes will you make?

While I want to love this pattern (comfy knit dresses for fall/winter? Yes please!), I don’t think I will make it again. In fact, if I can find someone to buy the dress from me to recoup the cost of the fabric, I will let go of this version. (Someone with a more moderate bust and a rough size 16-18, holla!)

Even with a larger size, there were just too many issues with the core elements of the pattern. And since I have another knit dress winner with a better neckline and better pockets (B6213, I’m looking at you!) I think I’ll chalk this up to a learning experience and move on to other things.

Final thought: this pattern uses a LOT of fabric – about 4 yards of 60-inch knit. (I only had three yards and so I couldn’t squeeze out the long-sleeves like I had originally planned.)

Do you have any advice on this pattern for other curvy sewers? Are there any resources (blog posts, fitting books, tutorials) that helped you sew this piece up?

This is a recent release and I couldn’t find ANYTHING online to help – not even photos on Google search. I’m dying to know if I’m an outlier, or if this dress is a fail for others too. While I hope someone can love it, there is a big part of me that would find it gratifying to know I’m not the only one.

Pattern Rating:

Size Range (1-5): 3 (Butterick, get with the program. Your patterns need to be consistently sized. If I can normally size down in your patterns, I need to trust that I can size down every time!)

Instructions (1-5): 4

Construction Process (1-5): 4

Final Fit (1-5): 2

Overall Rating (1-5): 3

Comments

  1. I am inspire by the clothing….love how you are taking actions and making your own clothing….

  2. Ok Jennifer, I just had a brain wave! What if you where to make this as a cardigan! Make the zipper full length! In a drapey sweater knit! Or a sweatshirt knit! I might even do this!

  3. I actually like the finished item better than the pic from the pattern pkg. love the fabric too. I’d consider purchasing the dress if you were unable to get in touch w Diana. My email address is: branflaker77 at gmail dot com
    Looking forward to hearing from you!

  4. Being a curvy girl myself, my first thought was “Wow, if this works, I’m in”. However, I agree with Jennifer W, it’s not for me, no matter how much tweaking I would do to it. No reflection on your sewing skills, you did a bang-up job. Some patterns, although trendy and appealing, are just not suited for all body types. The trick is knowing that before you invest so much time (and fabric!) in its construction.

  5. Jenny I have an idea. I think this dress is actually salvageable. I lov the fabric and the colour on you, and if you ca be bothered reworking it quite a bit here is my idea. Convert the neck to a scoop. It won’t make the bodice and roomier but will be a lot more comfortable looking. Next unpick the pocket panels, which look like they are cut as inverted gores? I would trim the pocket panels so the curve starts at the edge of the panel, then sew that extra sliver into the dress UNDER the pocket panel to give the dress more circumference. This would also life the sag of the pockets. IT’sx just an idea, if you want to try and redeem it. You wear Yellow so well! o

  6. I’d be interested in buying it from you. I live in southern CA where we don’t wear long sleeves much. Contact me at diana-slater at att.net

    • Hi Diana, I tried emailing you but my message was bounced back as “user unknown” — is it possible that you typed your email address incorrectly above?

  7. Oh I forgot to say, great job of matching stripes and patterns. Clearly you have good sewing skills! Every experience teaches us something. It only took me 50 years of sewing to learn to be more careful of what patterns I should be trying and to finally “get a style”. You are doing great. We all have wadders! Sigh!

  8. SEW glad to read your review – I’ve been looking at this new pattern and wondering if it would work for a large bust (smaller waist and no hips) sans the zipper. Very helpful review. Thank you!

  10. I often feel like you have to be a detective to figure out big 4 sizing. It’s not enough to know your measurements and the size you normally wear in that brand; you also have to look for clues in the description. “Oversized” or “loose fitting” = go down a size. “Very oversized” = go down two sizes. And they’ll often only give finished measurements for the bust, which is completely unhelpful for us pear shaped people.

    I actually think this style could work for you, though, if you sized up, used the long sleeves and the zipper (so that you can unzip a bit and get rid of the turtleneck look) and made it below-knee length. I think that would be really cute on you (and much better than the photo on the pattern!).

    • Thanks for your comment! I agree that the dress would dramatically improve with another 2-3 inches of ease throughout, doing long sleeves (which will reduce the “linebacker shoulders appearance”), and by either opening up the neckline (to be a true cowl) or scooping it out and binding it. However, there is virtually no way to solve the pocket “black hole” problem — and lengthening the dress is only going to exacerbate the situation. Plus, at that point you’re looking at 5 yards of fabric. Sadly, I think there is just no saving this one for me.

  11. I think this would be the perfect dress for an inverted triangle figure. For us large busted gals the high turtle neck brings a lot of attention to the bust line. Allowing an extra inch on the pattern center front where the zipper was may have given the ease you need in the bust. It is a cute design so I do understand why you chose this pattern. The pocket thing is a no starter for me even if I had a double faced fabric. who likes a pocket that essentially is non functional?

    Thanks for the review.

    • I totally agree that this pattern would work better on a pear shape — as long as you add extra room on the back piece — there is not a lot of ease built into the butt/hip area and those pockets on the side didn’t do much to camouflage my junk in the trunk.

    • I was SO BUMMED to lose this nice fabric to a wadder. It’s currently hanging in my sewing room while I dream about salvaging the fabric for something else. Sadly, none of the pieces on their own are very big, so it’s going to be tough to even get a tank top from the remnants. 🙁

  13. This review is SO useful. Clearly this dress would be super super cute on you (such a fantastic fabric choice btw) in the right size, and I can easily tell from your excellent photo documentation, that I will want to be making this up with lots of ease. I love being able to see how the pockets drape irl, and I have a great sense of exactly how body conscious this might be in a pattern on my wide, flat “midwestern tailfeather”. Also, it seems clear that the zipper accent would be exactly the thing to break up what you think of as the linebacker effect, and I see as a lovely strong shoulder line. XO

    • I’m dying to see some curvy sewists tackle this pattern so see what kind of modifications (or hell, just following the directions for the zipper) can make this dress a winner. (Having said that, I just don’t see any way to make the pockets work in a practical way…)

      • This will sound dumb,but I’d like to make an inner patch pocket (sewn into the seams, but snug to the inside piece) to be the functional pocket. I love the drapey oddness of the pockets (in fact I’d like to use them on the scoop neck Butterick pattern too) regardless of functionality. I just think they have that Eileen Fisher work vibe I like.

  14. Thank you so much for this review!! I really appreciate this feature on the Curvy Sewing Collective.

  15. Thanks for the heads up. My body shape matches yours. As a new sewer , I would have assumed I did something wrong rather than the pattern had problems.

    • Ha! There is no guarantee that it’s *not* my fault. I am kind of tempted to make another version in my “proper” size, with the zipper as directed, just to see how different it looks. On the other hand, it won’t solve the pocket problems — and honestly, I just don’t have the gumption to sew another one, knowing that the first one was such a huge failure.

  16. Mmmmmmm! I agree with you! I sooooo wanted to love this dress. I guess I love the idea of this dress. The consistency of sizing is a huge problem in the big 4 in my opinion. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this” not so much” moment here on this forum. It is very helpful.

    • I’ll be honest — after sizing down 1-2 sizes over the course of 15-20 Big 4 patterns, it never even occurred to me that it could be too small. I even spent a couple of minutes looking for the “snag” on the fabric because I assumed that it must have gotten folded or stuck somewhere when I pulled it on — it was a very rude awakening to realize it was my boobs and butt it was “snagged” on!

  17. I think it’s a darling dress! My measurements are so close to yours – only my bust is smaller (maybe that’s the problem!!). I think it looks fabulous on you from the back – but I completely understand not being comfortable in something and you are the one who has to wear it. It’s a fun dress. Off to check out the pattern that does work for you! g

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