Every now and then you come across a pattern you love so much, you just have to use it more than once. That’s Simplicity 1459 for me. This 1950s vintage reproduction pattern is just striking, with its statement collar and full, over-the-knee skirt.
This pattern comes with three different views: a three quarter sleeved version with a ribbon belt, a short sleeved version with a cummerbund and overskirt, and a third, sleeveless version. It also gives you the option to line the skirt and/or make a net underskirt for more volume. Of course all individual elements can be mixed and matched to your preference.
My Experience
The first time I made this dress, I erred on the side of caution and made it a size too large. My green dress is a little roomy around the arms and waist. The second time I made it a size smaller, and it actually came out a little tight around the chest and shoulders. I’m sure this could easily be solved with a bit of pattern grading, but the pattern has several other fit issues, that I’ve noticed others complain about as well.
For one, the sleeves are too large. You’re instructed to ease them into the armscyes but getting them in without any pleating is exceedingly difficult (and I didn’t quite succeed, as you can see above). Luckily the majority of the sleevecaps is hidden beneath the collar so it probably won’t show if you have some pleating there, but it’s something to keep in mind.
I also feel like there’s an issue with the side of the bodice where the zipper sits. I like to look up other people’s reviews when I make a pattern, and I noticed in many photos of this dress that the zipper bulges right above the waist. Mine does too, in both dresses. It’s not extremely noticeable nor uncomfortable when worn, but it is a bit strange.
The sewing instructions that come with the pattern are a bit vague at some points, I wouldn’t recommend this pattern to beginning seamstresses. You need a little sewing experience to know when not to follow the instructions and just do your own thing.
I also disregarded the sewing order when making my dresses. According to the instructions you’re supposed to attach the skirt to the bodice before attaching the sleeves, which makes things unnecessarily complicated in my opinion. I attached the sleeves first and had a less finicky time with them.
The Results
To make the green dress, I used a beautiful shwe shwe fabric a friend brought me from South Africa. I paired it with a dark green woven fabric, but I’m not sure of the fiber content of that one. It’s most likely a thicker cotton.
For the second dress I used cotton poplin in brown and dusty pink.
In both instances the sizing wasn’t completely right; this pattern obviously needs a bit of tweaking for my body shape. I’ll also admit I disregarded the (confusing) instructions for attaching the zipper, and just attached it plainly and visibly. I would’ve thought this to be the reason for the bulging, if I hadn’t seen the same bulging in other people’s projects as well. Unless they all got stubborn with their zippers, there’s something else going on there, haha!
For all my complaints though, I still adore this dress. The design itself is very striking and lends itself well to many prints, colours and types of fabrics. I find myself wearing both of these dresses all the time, and loving them on myself. You can’t beat that statement collar and the classic, over-the-knee skirt.
Despite the issues with the fit of the bodice, I would really like to use this pattern again. A navy and white version would be just darling, don’t you agree? I’ll definitely keep the issues I had with both of the finished dresses in mind and make sure to alter the pattern accordingly, but I think with a little tweaking this pattern could be close to perfection. I look forward to working with it again!
If you’d like to watch me make this dress, both Sew With Me videos are right below:
Hello I have just bought simplicity pattern number 1459
I am a novice dressmaker so this may be a little ambitious for me ..not going to lie..I’m scared
I have no idea how much fabric to buy