Home » Butterick 6556: Ready to Bloom in the Spring

Butterick 6556: Ready to Bloom in the Spring

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. My latest make is Butterick 6556. It’s quite a popular pattern in the sewing world and it’s part of the Gertie partnership series. It’s a vintage inspired pleated dress pattern with pockets and a notched neckline. There are two views: one with sleeves and the other without. I opted for the view with sleeves. The pattern also calls for lining for the bodice.

Fabric Choice

Butterick 6556 is an ultra feminine pattern and I wanted to make it in a punchy fabric that felt like Carrie Bradshaw meets Audrey in Funny Face. Enter a cotton sateen from Telio Fabrics. I ordered this gorgeous poppy print fabric from fabric.com. It’s a cotton spandex blend that sews beautifully and it photographs really. I used a white cotton voile for the lining.

Butterick 6556 Pattern Modifications

So due to some past makes not being as fitted as I would like (I’m looking at you Simplicity 8701), I’ve been measuring pattern pieces like a maniac to get them to fit the way that I would like them to. There were some pre-sewing tweaks made based on the finished garment measurements. I took my normal size and took out 1/4 inch in the bust and graded it down to take out 1/2 inch on the waist. I made these changes for the front bodice only. The back bodice was left untouched. Then, I extended one of the pleats on the skirt front by 1/2 and inch at the waist to make up for the subtraction in the bodice. The skirt back was untouched. I also used an invisible zipper and ignored the lapped zipper in the directions.

Butterick 6556 Bodice Construction

As I mentioned earlier, the bodice is lined. I sewed the waist and the side darts for the front bodice. Then, I sewed the back darts for the back bodice. Then, I attached the front and back together at the sides and the shoulders and repeated the same for the lining. After sewing the main bodice together, I sewed the lining to the bodice. It’s quite noticeable in the pictures, but the notched neckline didn’t come together smoothly for me. The pattern directions are a tad confusing. I don’t think the pattern has the notch low enough. I extended the notch to my liking, but it came out like a weird “V”.

At this point in the make, I tried the bodice on. I noticed that there was an issue with the shoulder straps not lying flat, but I chalked it up to the zipper not being attached yet. I would definitely go back and make that adjustment right then and there because once the dress was done, I had to take out an inch in the shoulders and re-sew everything again.

Butterick 6556 Sleeve and Skirt Construction

After the bodice was completed, I sewed the short sleeves. My only complaint about the sleeves are that the pattern doesn’t call for any ease stitches. However, the sleeves are too wide at the cap to be set-in sleeves. I ended up adding ease stitches to help get the sleeves to fit the armhole. After the sleeves were attached to the bodice, it was time for the skirt. After working on quite a few pieces with pleats (Burda 6291, Vogue 1783), this skirt was done pretty quickly after attaching the pockets.

Since I adjusted the front bodice, I was nervous the skirt wouldn’t fit the bodice perfectly, but it was pretty close the first time. I just had to pay attention to making sure the pleat lines matched up perfectly. Once the bodice and the skirt were lined up perfectly, I basted them together and tried it on. It fit well, but it was at this point that I decided to scratch the lapped zipper and go for the invisible zipper to keep the fit tailored, but comfortable. Once the zipper was in, I slipstitched the lining to the bodice and I had a dress. Butterick 6556 is one of the better fitting garments I’ve made.

Final Thoughts

Butterick 6556 is a fantastic pattern WITH modifications. I noticed that Simplicity is now publishing finished garment measurements on the pattern envelopes. I must say finally. I’ve only been sewing for a year, but its been my biggest issue. Although this pattern turned out well, I know that I would’ve hated it once it was finished and it didn’t make me feel great because of the fit. All in all, I would recommend the pattern with the adjustments I made.

Happy Sewing!

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2 Comments

  1. Paige
    October 12, 2022 / 10:24 pm

    Omg the dress and the fabric are sooo pretty you look gorgeous in it. Is cotton sateen a drapey fabric?

    • gloria.a.agyeman
      Author
      October 13, 2022 / 9:34 am

      Hi Paige – thank you! It’s sturdy and durable like cotton, but there is a subtle drape to it.

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