Well here we are again, tackling pattern Butterick 5982 for the second time. Back in April, I made Butterick 5982 using an Indian embroidered cotton and although I loved the pattern and the fabric, the darts ruined it for me, they looked like sad, flat saggy nipples and I just can’t stop being bothered by them. I will now only wear this dress with a cardigan to cover the sad nipple look and it’s made me want to try the pattern again. Although the original attempt isn’t that bad, I can be a bit of a perfectionist and I am okay highlighting where I have failed or could have done things better. I’d also like to encourage other sewers, or any crafters of any kind, to try things again even if the first time was a disaster because it’s completely ok to fail or have something turn out not quite as good as you wanted it to.

If you need a quick memory jog, Butterick 5982 includes three different dress styles; all three include a lined, princess seam bodice with style C having short cap sleeves. The pattern includes a pleated and gathered skirt, a back zipper a belt with an added bow. When I started looking into this pattern I realised that the bodice pieces were interchangeable depending on what cup size you would fit best; A/B, C D cup sizes. The pattern states that it is best suited for light to medium weight fabrics such as linen and broadcloth.

Same as my first attempt, I will be opting for style C and self drafting a rectangle gathered skirt again. When it comes to sizing, I decided to go with my normal size 12 but I will be going down to the C cup bodice piece. For this pattern redo, the main changes that I want to make are;
-go down a cup size in the bodice pattern from D to C
-make the skirt fuller

Shall we talk fabric? It’s not exactly a secret that I love fabric and prints which can only be described as aggressively floral. You might recognise this particular pattern as we’ve used a different colour way in a previous project earlier this year. My fabric choice for this dress is 3 yards of this gorgeous vintage-inspired floral from fabric.com. This is the Paintbrush Studio Fabric, organic flower market large flowers petals daisy fabric and it is a lightweight 100% cotton fabric. Designed by Emma Chapman and Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess for Paintbrush Studio Fabrics, this 1970’s inspired fabric is perfect for quilting, apparel and home decor accents. This organic cotton fabric is fun enough to appeal to kids but sophisticated enough that grown-ups can wear it too. I also have this particular fabric in the green colour-way and I’m already waiting for the next restock as I want more of each for other projects because this fabric honestly speaks to my soul.

Sew, let’s try this again shall we? The bodice is comprised of princess seams down the bodice front sides but also darts along the bust on the front center piece. This dart is where I have my problems as last time it was just saggy and sad; this time, it was a little crisper but it still wasn’t perfect. I’m not sure what else I can do so if you have any suggestions, please let me know. By sizing down to a C cup, my theory stands that I should always size down in my sewing patterns. The C Cup bodice fit me a lot better and looks a lot cleaner when worn.

I won’t waffle on with the rest of the pattern review as the changes weren’t that major. I do like the fuller skirt that I ended up with more twirl factor. For the first attempt, I only had a few meters of border print fabric which meant I couldn’t cut out my normal panels for a full skirt. Although this time I had 3 yards, I do still wish I had even just an extra half yard. As my normal skirt length is 28″ in length (including seam allowance), in order to use as much fabric as possible, I ended up with panels of skirt with a 27″ length which meant the skirt is skirter than I normally make. It just means my husband will be shocked and excited to glimpse my knees because everything I own seems to cover them. This one’s for you bub.

Fit: I am still not completely happy with the darts on this bodice and am not sure how to change it. I know how to sew a dart and haven’t ever had this kind of problem before. I wonder if my princess seams may be effecting the tension which causes the off nipple pucker but I think this pattern might not be a win for me unfortunately. I also wonder if maybe a bullet bra may fix the issue as it’ll push the girls forward instead of up. It makes me sad that this pattern might end up in the fail pile for me and even though it looks great on other people, it might just not be for me and thats totally ok.

In saying that, I am a lot happier with this second attempt on Butterick 5982 than my first one. I really love the fabric and I think the combination of cute florals, sleeves and a full skirt are making me love this dress more than the original. Despite the imperfections, I will be wearing this dress more than the first attempt and I already have a cardigan to match which I think is pretty cute. The fuller skirt was a great idea and although the first attempt had it’s limitations, having more skirt in this one makes me love it just a little bit more.

This dress gives me happy summer vibes but the tones of the pink mean I can add cardigans and cute accessories and make the dress feel more autumnal. This dress is a very cute and happy which I love; I know as spring continues, I will get to wear this one a lot. This pattern is very versatile for all seasons; it works for many types of fabric and I can see it being sewn in softer fabrics for warm weather, and warmer fabrics for colder weather.

So there we have it, my first redo of a sewing pattern for 2022. I can see the appeal of Butterick 5982; it has a lot of variations and the fact you can sew to your preferred bust/cup size means it can fit a wider range of sizes and shapes. I really wanted to love this pattern but I think I will take the sleeves from it and add that to patterns that work better for me. You can’t win them all right? Would I make this pattern again? Maybe, I think I have patterns that fit me better already in my collection but I do like the fact this one had princess seams and darts which is not a common occurrence. We will see what happens further down the line.

Despite this, if you think this pattern could work for you, I’d definitely give it a go. I’m sure this dress would be stunning on the right body and a better seamstress.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.