Altered Walkaway Dress

I recently had a commission for Butterick 4790, the Walkaway Dress! It's the first time I've made it since my first attempt several years ago. It's amazing to think how far things have progressed since then, it was one of the first patterns I used, one of the first dresses I made for myself, and I was so scared of patterns! Now I have a huge pattern stash and I love making dresses for other people. :-)

I made a few alterations to the pattern, though. I wanted something that could be worn over a regular petticoat, rather than having to make the split front version I did the first time around. In order to do that, I knew the underdress portion, the front, needed to be fuller in the skirt. So, instead of a sheath type dress underneath, I decided to cut the front pattern piece at the bodice, and then attach a gathered skirt. (Sorry for not getting a clear pic of this, in typical fashion I was sewing up to the second I handed the dress over so I didn't get a chance to take lots of detailed pics!)

I also saw this version of the walkaway with ties, and loved it! So I decided to add ties, which also made it a bit more easily adjustable.

We went with a simple white for the underdress, and a navy floral for the overdress. When she tried it on at her fitting, we agreed it needed a little something around the neckline, so I added a floral lace trim that went perfectly!

For the attachment of the underdress at the back, I wanted something with a little bit of give. I thought about it, and remembered seeing bra hook extenders or replacements at the fabric store, which I thought would be perfect! They hook nice and snugly, have a couple hooks to choose from like on a bra, and have some elastic built in for a bit of give. So I bought some and sewed them on, and it was exactly what I was looking for.

I'm pretty pleased with the end result, especially with the alterations I made! Maybe I'll even make another one for myself at some point.