Byrdie Button-up Pattern Tester Roundup

September 22, 2020

Today I’m sharing Byrdie Button-up Blouse + Dress makes from the testing group. The testers make this whole shebang possible in a real way! They give me so much valuable feedback on the fit and the instructions. To be honest, it gives me loads of anxiety to put the patterns to the test and expose all their flaws. But after all is said and done, I’m so grateful for these sewists and this process.

It should be no surprise that during this process, I’m making numerous adjustments to the fit: lower the neckline so it doesn’t choke anyone, shorten the sleeves a little (I have such long arms—people are always swimming in my sleeves), take some fullness out of the back (why is there so much fabric!?), and make the armpits more comfy (not a technical term, but armpits get me every time!).

The pattern starts with me, then has to be morphed into a pattern that works for many different body types. That can only happen by putting it on real bodies! Seeing the pattern on so many sewists gives me so much joy. It is the BEST part about all of this. It’s like me-made joy times one hundred!

One last thing I’ll mention, before showing you the goods already (!) is that I was nervous that no one would want to sew Version B (the one with the tucks), or would be daunted by the plackets or collar construction because of the time and patience involved for more advanced techniques, but everyone dove right in. And it solidified an idea for me: you’re not afraid of a challenge. You want to dig into the details. And I hear you!

So here are the testers in their beautiful makes!