Retro wrap-dress from Butterick 6212

I picked up this pattern earlier this spring, because I just loved the unusual design (it's a wrap dress which buttons!). There were a lot of interesting details in the design of this dress- especially the really cute dip in the front of the neckline, and the midriff shape.

I also found this wonderful orange/pink print and found it too amazing not to use..

The pattern turned out really well in the end (though I had a heck of a time fitting it!). All in all it's a pretty dress- fun without being too fancy or casual. The one suggestion I have for anyone attempting this pattern is to apply a fusible interfacing to the bodice neckline itself, rather than only to the facing (sure, fusible interfacing is probably not a very 50's sort of thing, but it decreases the chances of the neckline corners puckering, especially if you store it by hanging it up).

Fabric took about 3 to 3 1/2 metres (one metre for the bodice and two and a half for the skirt and midriff, though I didn't particularly care about matching pattern down the front seam).

I decided to do the back waist seam alteration recommended in the Pintucks blog post about this pattern, except that I flat-felled the waist seam instead of using binding, as it suggested. This alteration also worked well because it allowed the entire skirt to be of a uniform colour (and a separate colour from the bodice)- I think it was that, and the buttons down the back that kept the dress from going into seriously apron-looking territory (thank goodness!).

Overall, I'm very pleased with how the pattern turned out!