I just finished sewing this 1950s Butterick pattern. It took two versions to work though most of the fit issues, but I'm very happy with how the second came out! Here on my blog I posted a picture of my (almost) final bodice pieces overlaid over the tracings of the pattern originals, so you can see my changes. I'm very much a drafting amateur, so this was definitely a challenge! I confess I didn't read the pattern instructions, but other than fitting it was a pretty straightforward dress to sew. My fabric for both versions was cotton, and I added a full lining in cotton batiste rather than have facings. I already have fabric picked out for one last version (after toiling over the fitting for two weeks, it seems like I should make the most of the fruits of my labor!) but I'll probably wait until later in the summer to knock that one out.
And last but not least -- a big thank you to all of you who took the time to offer fitting suggestions in the comments of my first Sew Retro post! Based on your excellent advice, I didn't lengthen the bodice, as I had been doing, for this dress, and it does look so much better!
I have a few more photos of this dress (and its less-successful predecessor) here.
