Oh Betty!

I’ve been wanting to make my own 1950s style dress for a while and when I saw that Sew Over It had brought out their Betty dress pattern I knew I had to try it with Liberty fabric.

The instructions are fairly easy to follow even for a beginner but they also now have a Sewalong on their blog which will help you if you get stuck.

For my first one I used Liberty’s Chive Tana Lawn in the blue colour way. I love this fabric because from far away it’s quite a bold colour without being imposing and from close up, as with all Liberty prints, it’s got lovely detailing.

I didn’t have an invisible zip foot when I made this first one and you can definitely tell the difference so I would 100% recommend getting one. I don’t mind so much with this dress though as the zip colour was such a good match and it’s a shame to hide it away!

For my second attempt I chose a thicker cotton in a bright floral print. Although I love the Liberty versions, what I like about this dress is that the skirt falls really nicely, and a bit pouffier than when it’s made in a finer cotton – the photo below doesn’t really do it justice.

For my ‘final’ Betty (although I’m sure I will revisit this pattern!) I was making it especially to wear for my friends’ wedding. I chose one of my favourite prints, Claire Aude, in the lemon yellow colour way. I couldn’t decide whether to pick out the coral colour in the zip but I’m glad I went for a nude shade as I think it keeps the dress elegant and simple.

This time I concentrated more on the fit – fitting and readjusting as I went and I am most happy with this one out of the three.

No doubt I will revisit this pattern soon as it is so versatile but for now I’m sticking with my Betty hat-trick to see the summer through!