Edelweiss Patterns Hello Ladies! It looks like quite a few of us would all like to do a 1950s Walkaway Dress sew-along, so Edelweiss Patterns is going to host one here! Using Butterick Retro Pattern 4790, we will make the necessary alterations to sew an authentic 1950s walkaway dress! If you haven’t read my post on how to fit this pattern, you may want to do so before starting to sew your dress – most ladies who have sewn this pattern have complained about the fit, but I figured out how to fix Butterick 4790 to look like the pattern cover, and more importantly – how it would have looked back in the day.
Crinoline Petticoat/Underskirt for the Walkaway Dress
I’ve shared complimentary instructions here on how to make a crinoline petticoat/underskirt specifically for this dress, as it is quite unique. While it is not necessary to wear a vintage style girdle with this dress, (though this one will give you such a flattering shape!) you will almost certainly want to make a crinoline for the authentic 1950s silhouette. Regular 1950s petticoats will not work with this pattern because the overskirt opens up the front and would show the petticoat over the slim pencil dress layer.
What Fabric to Use for a 1950s Walkaway Dress
You can sew the walkaway dress out of virtually any woven fabric that has a fair amount of body to it. For a 1950s party dress, you could use a taffeta, duchesse satin, crepe-back satin, or faille. If you choose a cotton broadcloth, gingham, or linen, you will end up with the quintessential “1950s housewife” dress!
We will most likely begin cutting out our pattern in a week or so (around August 15th), and in the meantime you could even find an inexpensive “practice” fabric to make sure you perfect the fit before sewing a dress out of fashion fabric. In fact, that’s exactly what I did with my orange faille 1950s dress – I made the first dress for less than $20. As it is, I almost prefer the practice version to the second version anyhow. So if anyone wants to just perfect the fit for this first time of sewing it and hold off on using luxurious material, that is completely fine.
As the pattern illustration shows, you can either sew the entire dress out of the same material, or opt for the front sheath panel to be a contrasting color. I suggest printing off the illustration I drew above, then filling it in with different colors or even fabric swatches to get a preview of how your dress will look before you purchase a whole 5 yards of fabric.
Be sure to grab this button for the sew-along that you can add to your blog if you like. (Thanks to Sarah for sending in this original 1950s magazine ad for the Butterick Pattern!)
Here is the list of posts for this sew-along:
How to Sew a 1950s Crinoline Underskirt
Week 1 of the Sew-Along (How to Fit Butterick 4790)
Week 2 of the Sew-Along (Sewing the Darts, Skirt, and Shoulder Seams)
Week 3 of the Sew-Along (Bias Binding, Snaps, and Hemming Your Dress)
1950s Sew-Along Dress Results with Pictures!
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If you have any questions, feel free to post them below. We’re going to have fun!
Katrina
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[…] We are hosting this 1950s sew-along this month, so be sure to join us in […]
[…] If any of you are interested in sewing the 1950s walkaway dress, feel free to join our Butterick 4790 Sew-along that’s happening in August! Happy sewing! Filed Under: 1950s, Modest Clothing, Sewing […]
Yay! I already have some inexpensive fabric to experiment with, so I’m good to go.
–C.B.
Fun! I think Joann’s is have a Butterick sale later this week for people who don’t have the original vintage pattern (like me)!
Count me in!
I am in – I have put your button on my blog – http://parismegs.blogspot.com/…I can’t wait to start 🙂
Yay! I can’t wait to get started!! 😀
YAY! Posted on my blog and I am going to try my darndest to join in and work around my vacation.
I’m so excited to find this. I’ve had the pattern and fabric for WEEKS but not the courage to jump in and make it! So happy to get a move on with someone who knows what they are doing!
I’m in! I have the pattern but have been scared off by the fit – I’d like to use my basic blocks too to make the alterations (which I will do independently) as we go along!! I start a sewcation on the 18th.
I’ll participate the best I can but will be on vacation starting the 21st!
Count me in, too! I have had this pattern for a long time and love it! This is just the push I need to get cracking and make it.
Oh, I would love to join in on the sew-along! (How does a sew-along work really? I’m a first timer…) And does it matter that I don’t own the pattern? It looks quite easy, I’ve thought about just drafting it for a long time now. (No use for me to try to order it online, shipping to Sweden will most likely cost a fortune and take forever…) Sorry about the hundred questions…
Hello Ewa, Thanks for the comment! How the sew-along works is that I will post about once a week on how to complete the next step in sewing the dress (or fitting the pattern, to start out with), and we will all try to stay at the same point in construction. In each post will be pictures, tips, and instructions for how to sew or fit that part of the dress. You are always more than welcome to ask any questions about the sewing construction, and I will try my best to answer them within 24 hours. After about a month or so when we have completed the project, everyone who wants to can either send me pictures of their dress to post here, or they can just link to their own blog where they have pictures of their walkaway dress.
I couldn’t find any place in Sweden that sells that pattern, but Naai Patronen in the Netherlands sells it, as do many places in Great Britain. We will begin fitting out pattern next week, but of course you could catch up with us if it takes you a little longer to get your pattern.
Hope this helps!
Katrina
count me in .I’ll go on the weekend to get the fabric and pattern
Me too, me too! 😉
I’ve been wanting to sew this pattern for awhile. I’ve been working out how to build the foundation garments into the dress, maybe now is the time to get started!
sounds like fun,I’d love to make this again
So excited to join in! This will be my first sew-along but a perfect way to begin my new vintage wardrobe. I’m tired of dressing like the masses when my heart yearns for something more feminine and individual.
Hello Cyndi, Yes, the walkaway dress is the perfect start to a 1950s wardrobe! Whenever I have worn my vintage 1950s dresses around town, old and young people alike always get so excited and say nice comments from, “You look just like how I used to dress in the 50s”, to “You look like you belong on top of a cake!” I often have to turn around a few times for people to see the whole dress, and it’s amazing how usually grumpy people in a store are suddenly in a very good mood. Most people are so used to seeing jeans and t-shirts that it is a refreshing change to see a big pouffy skirt every once in a while. : ) Glad you can join the sew-along!
Hi, Sewer in Germany here.
For those of you unable to find the pattern in Europe, I’ve noticed that the Vogue catalog here offers some of the Butterick patterns (in particular, I know I have seen THIS pattern in the German Vogue catalog); I have yet to see the Butterick or McCalls name here anywhere, so it’s possible that it’s all just lumped together on this continent :)Check it out!
I made this pattern for my daughter this past Spring. I chose a leopard print for the dress front and a black crepe for the rest of the dress, using the crepe to make my own bias binding. The neckline was recut slightly after seeing the Patternreview results. I didn’t make a crinoline but I did use horsehair braid in the hem. I wish I had a picture to share. Daughter #3 looked like a Barbie! Perhaps I’ll make another with your sew along!
Hello Karen, Oh that sounds beautiful! Please do send pictures if you ever get them taken!
Happy sewing,
Katrina
[…] is the first entry in our Walkaway Dress Sew-Along! Since we probably need a little more time to purchase our patterns and fabric, I will begin by […]
Oooh wow, I would love to join in with this
I will be joining in with this, so excited.
Welcome, Laura! Glad you can join us!
I think this dress is still beyond my skill level, even though I’ve got the pattern and materials purchased. I may not sew along, but I’ll certainly be watching the process.
Hello Jeri, You are more than welcome to ask questions if you need anything explained! It is really quite easy once you get the hang of it, and I show pictures of many steps of construction. Happy sewing!
Katrina
Ohhh, I would so love to join in with you! I love what you’ve done with the walkaway. Figures it’s the most hectic time ever, though – between getting my blog actually running, moving interstate shortly and all the other projects I’ve got stashed… Plus the fabric choice where I am is so bad I would probably want to order online and wait for shipping. I am so tempted to drop everything to join in, though!
I may wait until it’s getting closer to the summer months down here (Australia). If I do decide to make the walkaway after you’ve all finished, would it be okay with you if I followed your tutorials, and of course linked back to them from my blog? If so, I will pencil it in for November as the ‘sheepishly late solo sew-along’.
Hello Pixie, Yes you are more than welcome to join in the sew-along later on, and when you finish sewing it (following our blog post instructions), then just leave a comment with a link back to your blog post showing the final dress! I will have a list on the blog of everyone who finishes the walkaway dress using these methods, so I’d love for you to make it as well!
Happy sewing,
Katrina
[…] last our 1950s walkaway dresses are finished! I have so much enjoyed this 1950s sew-along, and I hope you all have as well! For those of us who are not quite done with the sew-along, I am […]
Hi. I am glad you have put down how to make this walk away dress. I’ve never sewn anything but a button back on to a blouse. I was searching for a video showing how to make this dress. I am more of a visual person. Any chance you would do this on video and I could buy it or just put it on youtube or something? It would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks. Ruby
Hello Ruby,
That’s not a bad idea! A video showing how to sew the walkaway dress could be very helpful for seamstresses, and while I probably can’t fit it into my schedule in the next few weeks, I will definitely keep that in mind.
Thanks for asking!
Katrina
Just found this site! I purchased this pattern recently. Wish I was in on the sew along. Guess I will be on my own!
Hi Jackie,
You are more than welcome to join the “sew along” since all the pictures and instructions are still on the site. And I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have about it. You can also feel free to post a link to your pictures when you finish the dress.
Happy sewing!
Katrina
I can’t believe I missed the sew along at the time I was making the same dress!!! Argh! It would have been so much easier with your assistance! Actually, I threw in the towel after having completed my gauze one. I need a corset, actually, and that’s why I decided to stop. Where did you get yours? Or, did you make it? If so- pattern please?
Hello Christina!
Oh, I’m sorry to hear you missed the sew-along! But you are more than welcome to follow along doing the same steps we did, then post pictures when you finish. : ) Yes, I made my own corset, and my favorite pattern for that is Simplicity 9769. The one thing that I change which is very important for modern-day wear is that you need to omit the busk (closing) down the front. Just sew the center front as you would a regular seam and leave the opening only in the back.
Hope this helps, and happy sewing!
Katrina
Very cute! Any little girl would love it!
Ooh, ooh, I want to play. The button is not working on my WP site though. Hmmmm, wonder what’s up. I had this pattern years ago and discarded it (duh). Now, I’ve got to quickly get another.
Oh wow, this was LAST YEAR, duh on me. Disregard my other email then.
Hi Lyric!
You are still more than welcome to use this sew-along, and then add a link to your pictures when the dress is finished! There’s no reason why people can’t participate just because we started using it last year. : )
Happy sewing!
Katrina
Hi! I just discovered this fantastic sew-along, and while I realize that I’m a YEAR late, LOL, I plan on going ahead with this project using the info you’ve posted. Quick question, do you think this pattern would work in a longer, say full, length?
Thanks so much for making this available, I can’t wait to get started (after finishing up allllll my other projects first, sigh)… 🙂
Hi there! Yes, you could definitely make this floor length! It would take a much large amount of fabric, and you would want to determine your yardage layout before purchasing your material, but full length circle skirts are just gorgeous! They are much more flattering than the usual gathered floor-length skirt seen in the 1950s, and the only thing that comes to mind is that the weight of it might make the bodice a little lower than usual. So just make sure you fit the bodice really well, and you should be good to go!
Happy sewing,
Katrina
Great idea! Love 50s skirts & dresses – like Windwidow, found this a bit late!
Almost all done …. stuck with the short version. And I made a couple of alterations of my own. Considering the fabric I chose to use, I decided to make my own bias tape to match the dress. Also didn’t care for the neckline going out past the edge of my shoulders – so I pleated them up and attached buttons for interest that match the ones I used on the front closure of the dress. I’d love to hear what you think and would be happy to send along a picture, just let me know where to send it. 🙂
Oh, this sounds like fun! You can send your pictures to: info@edelweisspatterns.com
Can’t wait to see how it turned out. : ) – Happy sewing, Katrina
[…] I found the sew along at Edelweiss Patterns. Thank the lord. Katrina’s sew along was so clear and easy to follow, […]
Oh wow.. I just stumbled upon this! I’m a lover of vintage clothing too and am attempting to sew my, first ever, 1950’s dress. And even though this Walkaway Dress Sew-Along was nearly two years ago, I’m going to do it. 🙂
Hello, Sandy,
So glad you found the site! Good for you for sewing along! 🙂 Feel free to let me know if you have any questions along the way.
Happy sewing!
Katrina