Sew Over It Betty Dress

I made my first Sew Over It Betty Dress to wear to a friends wedding, and I am super happy with it! I made it in some beautiful lawn, also from Sew Over It, and added a full lining as the fabric was slightly see through. I was really impressed with how easy a sew this dress was! It's quick to make up and so fun to wear. It's great for twirling :) Next time I make it, I will make some adjustments to the neckline of the bodice as I'm a little too narrow there. But on the whole, a beautiful dress I will definitely be wearing again soon in this nice weather :)

Betty is a vintage inspired sleeveless dress with a bateau neckline that forms into a v-neckline at the back. The skirt is a wide circle skirt. Betty has darts at the bodice and it closes with a center back zipper. The sizes range from UK 8 to 20. I chose to make my usual size 10 and it fitted well without any adjustments.

This dress is very easy and fast to make. I did not read the instructions since I have my own way of sewing this kind of dresses. I do not like the method where the shoulder seams are sewn only after the facing has been sewn to the neckline and the armholes. I like the “burrito method” which allows me to sew the shoulder seams first and still sew all the edges with the machine. (If you sew the zipper on only after the facings are done, you could also turn the bodice around through the shoulders. I sewed the top of the zipper on before the facings so I couldn’t do this anymore.)

I really like the look for this dress. The neckline gives character for this dress and it has a lot of hacking potential. I am afraid that I am not going to wear it much this winter but it will be waiting for me in the spring. I could wear it with a cardigan but I think I need more layers than that on your normal Finnish winter day. However, Lisa at Sew Over It has published an add-on pack with more neckline options and sleeves. After seeing the fit of this dress I am very tempted to try the sleeved version.

Visit my blog for more reviews and interesting sewing stuff.

I absolutely loved sewing the Betty dress up! I've written all about my cherry version over on my blog: https://www.emmycouture.com/blog/2017/10/9/a-cherry-betty-sew-over-it-betty-dress-pattern-review

This pattern did not disappoint in the least and I am really excited to plan a couple more versions.

I made my first Betty dress to wear on my birthday and I have to admit I'm in love with this pattern. There's something about a full circle skirt that makes a girl feel like a princess! The construction was pretty straightforward. I opted for the sleeveless version with the original neckline and the V in the back. I used the facings in the pattern instead of baging the bodice out, although I have to wear a slip under the skirt because the fabric is a bit see through. I had some fitting issues with this dress that I’m still trying to solve. First of all, there was a substantial gaping in the back. What I did is I installed the invisible zip on the top using a bigger seam allowance, about 2 cm, and as I moved to the waist I graded back to the 1,5 cm. This stopped the gaping but I’m looking for a more permanent solution next time. The other fitting issue I had was that the botice is quite tight around my armholes. After doing some research I realized that I needed an FBA. The pattern is drafted for a B cup when I have a 36 inch bust and I wear a D cup. After making this dress, I made 3 muslins trying to figure out the FBA and I think I’m ready to make my next Betty, right this time though. I cannot call this dress a complete success due to the fitting issues I just mentioned, but there’s definitely room for imrpovement on my part and I really think I will make it better next time. I already picked my fabric and I’m ready to dive in! It’s such a lovely pattern and I shall report back when I make it again! You can see more photos and read a few more tips on my blog: http://athinakakou.com/2017/07/20/first-betty-dress-sew/

According to my measurenents I am a size 12. I made a size 12 muslin but that was way too big. I traced a size 10 instead and made a small bust adjustment (6/8") and that muslin was perfect. I am happy with the dress but next time I will lengthen the bodice 1/2"-1" as the waist of the dress now sits on my ribs.