3 reviews for Sense & Sensibility 1780 Portrait Dress and Girl’s Portrait Dress
Rated 5 out of 5
Lavie and Vivie –
I bought both of these patterns from Vision Forum because they looked so pretty. What a waste of $41.09!
I started with my daughter’s dress. The waist was a couple inches too small! I made it a couple sizes up and the chest was a couple inches too big. I guess the designer thinks little girls have much bigger chests than they do waists.I drafted my own bodice from scratch, then continued. The sleeves were next. They were too short! I made a set a couple sizes larger, then realized that the pattern calls for them all to be the same length. So I altered them to the right length. But then the markings, when lined up as the pattern says, resulted in a bad fit. At this point I quit using the pattern and threw it where it belongs and finished the dress by drafting the rest myself. By the time I finished, I’d only used the caps of the sleeves from this pattern and had completely drafted the rest myself.
Thinking it was a problem only with the girl pattern, I started on my dress. I already have the proper corset made, so started on my way. Guess what? Same problems. The dress fit better without the corset. Still not very well though. There was room, but no shaping, so it looked awful. I redrafted the bodice from scratch. And then the same problem with the sleeves not fitting right. This pattern went where the other one did, and I finished on my own.
I do have 2 beautiful dresses now, but only because I drafted them myself. I bought these patterns to save time instead of having to draft. Instead I had to draft anyway and wasted time and muslin (that stuff is $4 a yard here, so it’s not a cheap mock-up, and I used 6 yards trying to get the different sizes to fit) trying to fit a pattern that was so poorly made I would have been better off getting something by Simplicity. With the muslin, $65 went down the drain. Not including my time!
Rated 4 out of 5
Laeticia Mason –
Before I started this dress, I checked the website for updates. There were none, so I started the dress and sewed it all by hand. I cut a couple sizes larger so the child would have room to grow. Instead the waist was far far too small and the shoulders much, much bigger than 2 sizes. I tried twice more thinking I did something wrong, and those didn’t fit either. At least those were muslin. The first one was really expensive silk and lace. I went to the forum and found out that this pattern has known issues and some of the more prolific posters have had the same problems. The sleeves on the dress I made were big enough that I didn’t experience problems, but made the child’s current size, posters are also having problems with the fit of the sleeves. I don’t think a pattern should have ill-fitting sleeves, be several inches too small in the waist (literally 5″ smaller than the measurement given) with a neckline so much bigger that it falls off. This pattern needs some major work, and when or if it’s done, I think new copies should be sent out to purchasers. Only use this pattern if you’re willing to redraft most of it.
Rated 5 out of 5
Ruby Carlton –
I bought several S&S patterns about a month ago, and then bought this one, and set out on a marathon sewing spree. The designer never got back to me about the questions I had this this pattern and a few of the others. I’m not ordering again. This pattern went together horribly. The fit was odd, my daughter was uncomfortable. Too much fabric was to be eased into the back seams and it was bulky and ugly. My daughter was uncomfortable. I don’t recommend this pattern and feel I wasted my money. More or less it was 7 pieces almost the same size. I would have taken the waist, divided by 7, drawn angled lines going down to about 16-18″, added seam allowances to both sides, and saved myself the money.
Lavie and Vivie –
I bought both of these patterns from Vision Forum because they looked so pretty. What a waste of $41.09!
I started with my daughter’s dress. The waist was a couple inches too small! I made it a couple sizes up and the chest was a couple inches too big. I guess the designer thinks little girls have much bigger chests than they do waists.I drafted my own bodice from scratch, then continued. The sleeves were next. They were too short! I made a set a couple sizes larger, then realized that the pattern calls for them all to be the same length. So I altered them to the right length. But then the markings, when lined up as the pattern says, resulted in a bad fit. At this point I quit using the pattern and threw it where it belongs and finished the dress by drafting the rest myself. By the time I finished, I’d only used the caps of the sleeves from this pattern and had completely drafted the rest myself.
Thinking it was a problem only with the girl pattern, I started on my dress. I already have the proper corset made, so started on my way. Guess what? Same problems. The dress fit better without the corset. Still not very well though. There was room, but no shaping, so it looked awful. I redrafted the bodice from scratch. And then the same problem with the sleeves not fitting right. This pattern went where the other one did, and I finished on my own.
I do have 2 beautiful dresses now, but only because I drafted them myself. I bought these patterns to save time instead of having to draft. Instead I had to draft anyway and wasted time and muslin (that stuff is $4 a yard here, so it’s not a cheap mock-up, and I used 6 yards trying to get the different sizes to fit) trying to fit a pattern that was so poorly made I would have been better off getting something by Simplicity. With the muslin, $65 went down the drain. Not including my time!
Laeticia Mason –
Before I started this dress, I checked the website for updates. There were none, so I started the dress and sewed it all by hand. I cut a couple sizes larger so the child would have room to grow. Instead the waist was far far too small and the shoulders much, much bigger than 2 sizes. I tried twice more thinking I did something wrong, and those didn’t fit either. At least those were muslin. The first one was really expensive silk and lace. I went to the forum and found out that this pattern has known issues and some of the more prolific posters have had the same problems. The sleeves on the dress I made were big enough that I didn’t experience problems, but made the child’s current size, posters are also having problems with the fit of the sleeves. I don’t think a pattern should have ill-fitting sleeves, be several inches too small in the waist (literally 5″ smaller than the measurement given) with a neckline so much bigger that it falls off. This pattern needs some major work, and when or if it’s done, I think new copies should be sent out to purchasers. Only use this pattern if you’re willing to redraft most of it.
Ruby Carlton –
I bought several S&S patterns about a month ago, and then bought this one, and set out on a marathon sewing spree. The designer never got back to me about the questions I had this this pattern and a few of the others. I’m not ordering again. This pattern went together horribly. The fit was odd, my daughter was uncomfortable. Too much fabric was to be eased into the back seams and it was bulky and ugly. My daughter was uncomfortable. I don’t recommend this pattern and feel I wasted my money. More or less it was 7 pieces almost the same size. I would have taken the waist, divided by 7, drawn angled lines going down to about 16-18″, added seam allowances to both sides, and saved myself the money.