Pattern Review— B5895
Butterick B5895— a discontinued Patterns by Gertie design— had been a unicorn of mine for quite awhile. Many of the Patterns by Gertie patterns can still be found reasonably priced on Etsy and eBay, but B5895 consistency commands a high price, when you can even find a copy for sale. I believe that most of the furor surrounding this pattern has to do with the pants, but I was more drawn in by the blouse!
After a couple of years of scouring eBay and Etsy regularly, I found one in my size range that was priced significantly less than other copies I’d seen, and I pounced! So it should come as no surprise that I was itching to make up this pattern as soon as possible after I had it safely tucked away in my pattern drawer.
Once again, Resort-O-Rama provided the excuse I needed to pull out all the stops and go big with a project. Ok, so this may not look like going big… but as someone who is risk-averse, using an untested pattern with a fabric I really, really like for a special event is pretty scary!
I found the blouse in B6895 ok to work with, but this wouldn’t be my pick for a beginner. The center back collar construction is fiddly and I couldn’t get mine to look good, even after picking it out and redoing it a couple of times, and that was after practicing on my muslin! I consoled myself with the fact that much of the mess is hidden by the collar itself, and because I typically wear my hair down, it’s even more unlikely anyone would ever see that bit.
In addition to fit alterations like adding circumference, (I thought it would fit my bust just fine based on the finished garment measurements. It did not.) I made a few cosmetic alterations.
I opted to lengthen the blouse to bring it down to my natural waist, and I also added waist darts as I wanted a bit more definition below the bust. I find that tops like this that tie and have no shaping below the bust often look like they “pouf out” on me in the midriff region, which isn’t my favorite silhouette.
I also chose to use a contrast for the blouse facing so that the collar and tie were a different color. This also helped conserve fabric, as this blouse pattern does take quite a bit of fabric!
I’ll definitely make this pattern in the future, but between the amount of fabric it takes and the fiddly nature of the collar, I don’t see it becoming a go-to that I can throw together in my sleep!
-Skirt pattern is the Charm Patterns Picnic Skirt
-Blouse pattern is Butterick B5895: https://amzn.to/42h8gzt
-Fabric is “Keys of Love” from Camelot Fabrics
-Necklace, earrings, and bangles are Splendette
-Brooch is Erstwilder
-White hair flower is La Casa de Flores (via Etsy)
-Purse is from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3M5BHii