I don’t know about you, but I’m a blazer girl. A good blazer can do so much for your wardrobe, and they’re not just for the corporate world. We’re not talking suits here, although I’m a big fan of a good suit and wore many back in my corporate days. I’m talking about the blazer as a wardrobe essential, the item that can transform anything worn with it. A blazer worn over a T-shirt and jeans looks so much more stylish and chic and elevates the entire outfit. Worn over a cute little floral dress it can add stylish warmth layer and also bring a little bit of masculine tailoring to a feminine style. It’s also a great seasonal transitional item!
So here’s a little classic blazer with a twist for you. Introducing the new Lisette B6641 blazer pattern.
This is a classic boy-cut blazer but with a turned-up collar that changes that whole notched-collar concept into something much more interesting and exciting while framing your face at the same time. And I know you’ll be excited to hear that this pattern includes princess seams and cup sizes so the challenges of getting a good fit are already handled for you.
I like the darts, seams, and vent at the back, too. Isn’t it elegant?
For fabrics, you’ll want to consider wool suiting (obviously) and flannel, denim or chambray, velvet or velveteen, cotton twill, gabardine, linen, brocade. So many options!
You can pick up a copy of B6641 in the Oliver + S shop, and obviously I’m going to want to see how it turns out so tag it #sewlisette and #B6641 on Instagram so we can all admire, will you? And here’s the link to our Lisette for Butterick B6641 Pinterest board for these and more inspiration photos. Have fun with this one!
This time of year, who doesn’t want an easy, comfortable knit dress to wear? I thought it would be nice to offer you something that’s both easy to wear and simple to fit. So our new Lisette B6626 dress pattern has separate cup sizes, which means that you’re one giant step closer to getting a great fit right away. The princess seams will get you even closer to a great fit since they’re easy to adjust as needed.
This is one of those classic fit-and-flare dress styles that seems to suit everyone, you know? With the flared skirt and an invisible side zipper that allows you to get a close fit through the bodice, it’s the type of dress you can feel great wearing. And you can style it so many ways. Your choice of accessories will help you to get lots of wear out of this style because you can dress it up or keep it casual, however you prefer.
You can also choose from two different lengths and two sleeve lengths.
I especially like the back with the little cut-out and the bow detail.
Think about using Jersey, ponte, and interlock for this pattern. You might also want to consider sewing the bodice and skirt from two different colors or prints if you want it to look more like separates.
I can’t wait to see what you do with this pattern! Pick up your own copy of the pattern on the Oliver + S website. Then tag us with #sewlisette and #B6626 on Instagram so we can see how it turns out. And don’t miss our Lisette for Butterick B6626 Pinterest folder for more images.
Today I’m happy to introduce you to the second of our new Lisette patterns for the season. This one is Lisette for Butterick B6598.
I was in London last year representing our Lisette patterns at a sewing show when I realized that we haven’t really done much in the way of fancy dresses–by which I mean dresses that might be worn to a more formal event, as opposed work or and every day apparel.
If you’re like me you probably don’t attend all that many black tie events, but chances are good that you need a cocktail dress or a dress that might be worn for a wedding, etc. And as much as a skin-baring dress can be fun, I’m a firm believer that comfort equals confidence. And I don’t always feel comfortable (or confident) in a strapless number. Thus, this pattern.
This is a two-piece pattern: top and skirt. Worn together they look like a dress, but they can also be worn as separates for more versatility. I love the shirring down the semi-fitted front, which also serves to help unify them when they’re worn together. Top View A is sleeveless and lined, while View B includes a front ruffle and fancy lantern sleeves (not too crazy or full, just interesting and fun) with a partial lining. Both views are semi-fitted with a pleated peplum detail that keeps the style playful and not too fitted. The skirt is fully lined as well.
You’ll see that, in the end, we eliminated a few details from my original sketch. It started to feel too busy once all those details were included, but I’m really happy with the final result.
For fabrics, we used crepe-back satin, but you could also choose wool crepe, a fancy jacquard, or a tweed or other textured fabric. Shantung or velvet could also be really pretty, don’t you think? I also love the idea of sewing it in a glen plaid or or other checked suiting and then pairing just the skirt with a denim shirt, for versatility outside the office.
I’m really excited to sew and wear this one this fall. If you sew it be sure to tag it #sewlisette and #B6598, will you? And make sure to add your version to the Lisette Flickr group.
I’m happy to announce that our new season of Lisette patterns is now available from Butterick. I’ll be introducing you to the two new styles this week. Let’s start with this dress, Lisette for Butterick B6589.
I’ll be honest with you. I was a bit disappointed when I saw the envelope cover for this style. This is a fitted dress, and it looked wonderful at the muslin stage. But it’s decidedly not fitted on the model used for the envelope photo. Apparently, at the photo shoot two different models wore it, and this model was much smaller than the other. So let’s overlook this photo for now and jump to the next, shall we?
This is better, isn’t it?
Let’s talk about the details. This is a mock-wrap dress with princess seams so you can get a good fit. It’s so much easier to adjust the fit when you have princess seams, so I like to include them in our patterns because they’re really helpful, especially if you’re less experienced with fitting or you vary between sizes. And they look pretty, too.
This style looks like a wrap dress but without the obvious downsides of an actual wrap dress, so you don’t need to worry about a sudden gust of wind or other awkward moments like that. It’s meant to be close-fitting, and the front shirring gives it a little style while also making it more forgiving in terms of camouflage. The dress closes with an invisible zipper at the side, and you can choose from the straight skirt on View B (the drawing) or add the godets that make it a flared skirt like the photo. View A also includes a little shirring at the bracelet-length sleeves, while the slim skirt of View B pairs nicely with slim straight sleeves. And on both views the neckline is built up a bit. I called it a shawl collar in my original sketch, but that’s not exactly right. (You can also see that on the back view we ended up eliminating the shirring at the lower back in my original sketch. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but in the muslin it just looked like a fitting error.)
In terms of fabrics, I would recommend crepe-backed satin (which is what we used for the dress in the photos), wool suiting (my favorite), wool crepe, or even velvet would work beautifully if you want to make it party-worthy. I’ll talk about that more below. Ponte and other stable knits would also work really well for this style.
Here’s the full-length for both front and back. Even though the fit isn’t great on the model here, you can still see the details.
This would be a great dress for work (if you’re a Suits fan, you know what I mean), but it would also be great for fancy parties or dinners out. I think it would be stunning in velvet as a holiday dress, don’t you?
I hope you’ll have fun with this style! Be sure to tag it #sewlisette and #B6589 if you sew it, will you? And you can also post your photos to the Lisette Flickr group. As always, I can’t wait to see what you do with this style.
Over on the Oliver + S blog, I’ve shared a recent make with the new Lisette B6561 top.
You can visit my post there.
I’m very pleased to introduce you to our second new spring Lisette for Butterick pattern, B6567.
Years ago I designed a Lisette pattern called the Portfolio Dress. For some unexpected reason the pattern went viral just as it was being taken out of print, and all these years later we still receive emails from people looking for a copy of that pattern. I designed the Liesl + Co. Cappuccino Dress in response to those requests, but it seemed worth revisiting the style again since we’ve heard from so many of you who really loved the contrast fabric at the center front.
To that end, Lisette B6567 brings back those super-popular on-seam pockets and gives the style a fresh, updated look–along with the option for that contrast center-front panel.
Each of the two views features gentle side-shaping and those interesting (and functional) on-seam pockets. One added advantage of this particular version of the style is those princess seams down the front bodice. This means it’s an easy pattern to adjust for fuller busts! View A has the contrast front panel that is perfect for an interesting printed fabric or a little bit of embellishment, and View B is a little bit shorter (which also works well as a tunic) and adds 3/4-length sleeves for cooler weather or extra coverage, as you prefer. As always, you can mix and match the options from the two views.
This design is easy to sew and completely appropriate for work or the weekend. I think it will be a terrific summer dress, but keep in mind that you can also add the 3/4-length sleeves and wear it with trousers, leggings, or tights in cooler weather. It’s very layer-able. (Is that a word? If not, I’m making it into one.) I think you’ll like the clean-finished neckline, which is completely faced so there’s nothing tricky about sewing it. And I really like the shoulder yoke, which you could also sew in a contrast fabric if you want. This style also has an inverted box pleat for extra comfort while maintaining the slim silhouette.
In terms of fabric, I was kind of obsessed with the idea of using a Toile du Jouy for this pattern, and I’m happy with how it turned out! This would also be cute in solid or patterned linen–I’ve got some navy linen set aside for this purpose– or in a really big, bold print. Wouldn’t it be fun in something like a vintage Marimekko print? You could also choose a drapier fabric like crepe or challis for a dressier look. (Ooh, what about hammered silk?)
In any case, I’ve assembled a few inspirational images (mostly of the original Portfolio Dress since there isn’t a lot out there similar to this style) in a Lisette for Butterick B6567 Pinterest folder. I hope you’ll tag your images #sewlisette and #B6567 on social media so we can see them! I know you’re going to have fun with this one and I can’t wait to see what you do with it.
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