B4731 - Rhianna's Dinner Dance Outfit

I finished this dress about a month and half ago for my niece's GalPal, who is attending the same graduation Dinner Dance as my niece. This pattern has been in my collection for about a year. I purchased my copy because I thought it would be a good basic form fitted dress pattern to have. It can serve as a foundation for many design options for a formal gown or a casual dress that you can add straps to. That all being said, here is my review of the dress for Rhianna's version.

Pattern Description: MISSES’/MISSES’ PETITE SHRUG AND DRESS: Lined shrug has short or long sleeves. Shrug A: front button and loop closure. Fitted, lined, slightly flared dress, evening or floor-length has boned foundation and back zipper closure. Dress D: flounce and shaped hem (lower calf length at front and floor length at back).

Pattern Sizing:6 to 20. I made what would be a size 1 1/2". The little lady is tiny. Sizing it down was a bit of a challenge because of the amount of the decrease required to fit her. I use the multiple sizing in reverse to scale down the pattern. That is, I used the distance between the sizes to scale down to what could be considered the desired size. My first attempt was about a size 4. But after the first fitting I had to reduce the width of the dress and shrug. More details below.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? For the most part. I added straps.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Nothing confusing about the instructions. Pretty standard for this type of design.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the pattern because it had classic lines and offer a variety of styling options. Nothing to dislike.

Fabric Used: A polyester satin with glitter on top for the dress. A polyester chiffon for the shrug. Also finished with a glitter like substance. Pressing it was a challenge. I had to double my pressing cloth to keep from removing the finish (glitter). Both fabrics were purchased at Hancock.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: There were quite a few alterations and one design change. I didn't make a muslin. So most of the alterations were made as I sewed the dress.

I cut the pattern at what I considered a size 4. I shorten the skirt and the bodice by 1 1/2".

I put together the dress for the first fitting. There were several changes needed:

-The shoulder seam were too long. I trimmed 1/2" from the seam. The results of the shoulder adjustment.






-The back of the jacket stood away from her body. I added two tucks to bring it closer to the body.

-The dress was still too large. I took it in about 3" more through the bodice area. Adjustment needed at the back.



Final finish of the dress adjustment.






- Straps were added to it for added comfort.
- I made a purse to go with the outfit.




Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? May be if another special occasion comes up. Yes, I would recommend it to others. It's a decent pattern to use for a classic form dress.

Conclusion: This dress was easy to make. My challenge was achieving a good fit for a tiny lady.