Early Access // This Week's Video

I am in awe of your skills! Thank you for showing us how it can be done. Outstanding.

Happy Birthday, Bianca! I hope you had a wonderful day.

Having tried 2 or 3 different walkaway repro patterns over the years and being so disappointed in the results you've inspired me to give it another shot using your method. And since I've watched your pencil skirt drafting video I know the underskirt will actually fit properly for once! The finished dress is beautiful, it really suits you. Happy (belated) Birthday! Hope it was a great one!

Hi, Late as ever, but that's as expected from me, I guess. A belated Happy birthday. Where does time go? I think I did this just a month or two ago, but a full year has passed. I like you new dress, and your new tattoo of course. I'm so glad to see you having fun. Have a good rest of the summer. Yours, Ann

Beautiful xx

This is a beautiful adaptation of the “apron” dress....not even any resemblance...but a gorgeous glamorous stunner...congratulations Bianca

The only item of clothing I have ever made for myself was a self drafted version of the walkaway dress (because I couldn't afford the pattern) to create a TARDIS dress where the 'doors' of the skirt overlap the underskirt which was printed to look like the TARDIS interior.

Love the dress! Fantastic changes. I’m going to have to give this a go sometime. You mentioned at the end about adding possibly some sort of petticoat to give the circle skirt some volume. I’m thinking maybe just adding some horsehair braid at that hem might do the trick.

Tangential note—you mention wearing a long line Rago bra—how do those sizes work? I’m normally a 34/36 G/H, so I’ve been reluctant to order any of their bras, even though I like the silhouettes for vintage styles—Do “sister sizes” actually work with them?

Thank you for doing this. I thought about creating my own version using my blocks like you taught, but glad to have your demo!

You soo pull off that vintage 40's to late 50's! Love the way you went about putting that together! Made it look alot easier than they do! Oh! Love the ink on the hand! 🤗🥳😲

Thank you for calling out that the pattern illustration is not at all what the actual pattern would give you, and then following up with those modifications to make it such a cute dress and not a pretty apron. Also, your earrings are stunning, I am obsessed

I. Love. This! It looks so sophisticated and doable with my block. So excited to draft a version for myself. Thank you as always for such gorgeous content!

Love your alterations! This actually makes me want to add this design to my ever growing sewing-to-do list. And to the vintage sewing machine recommendation - I would second that! Mine isn't that vintage, but I desperately wanted one without any built in computer part. I'm a software developer and I wanted my hobby time to be free of screens and the risk of buggy software. I found an old Singer at a second hand store for $50 and I ended up paying more on the repair and tune up than I did on the machine itself, but grand total it was still cheaper than any new machine that wasn't a cheap plastic one.

I never really understood what the big deal was about the walkaway dress. Your version is one I might make. It looks like a dress. The orignal does not. I don't think it really looks like an apron either. It just dosn't look right. I love a good slip or petticoat.

This turned out so lovely. I think the addition of some boning where the front closures are did so much to help the waist maintain its shape. I always thought this pattern could actually make a really fancy cocktail dress if you combined the right fabrics.

That is a beautiful dress. Enjoy wearing it. I love putting slips on under my dresses too. I am not adventurous enough to go with vintage slips though. I made knit slips with lace hems.

I had no idea what a walkaway dress was until this video!

This looks stunning, and also I think the modifications you made solve some of the fitting issues I saw other makers complain about. and it makes sense since you are making a much more body-fitting, tailred version of the dress instead of a very loose wrap garment. As always, thank you for the video and your crearivity!

I have a hard time visualizing final projects with patterned fabrics, so I love seeing yours. This dress is just gorgeous, well done! Your new tattoo is so pretty and intriguing in the line work and shading. And happy belated birthday! Mine was 2 weeks ago. I finished a pair of pirate pants. All hand-sewing. I watched a lot of YT. What do you do when you hand-sew for hours?

ooo, nice. I've been planning on making a dress for my bestie that's similar to the walk-away, and more or less know the steps I'd take to go from basic block pattern to it, but I'm glad to get a view at how you'd approach it. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/08/dc/69/08dc69a236c96428878cd0d783118bc1.jpg

And this is why you are the queen of mid-century vintage. I could absolutely see my mom wearing this in the 50’s, even the fabric with its mix of greens.

Love those earrings! At the end you addressed exactly what I was going to say -- that proper fitting makes an amazing difference. If I ever make this, though, the underskirt will be a quarter circle just at the front. When I first saw someone make it I was disappointed at the straight underskirt.

Cast iron sewing machines will be used by the cockroaches after the apocalypse

Gorgeous fabric choice! You should take credit for the fact that it's *almost* sold out on Mood already. Happy hunting for your birthday slip!

Love the outcome :D

Happy birthday 🎂 xxx

It fits you in such a wonderful fashion! I am familiar with the dress, but never had much interest in it until I saw what you did with it. I love your Singer--I work for a local costume designer as one of her stitchers and she gifted me a Singer Slantomatic from the mid fifties. It was a little intimidating at first but I just adore using it now and am so grateful to her. It has the capacity for a bunch of fancy stitches, but that part seems to be locked up right now and I haven't had any success but it does a straight stitch which is good enough for now. I also have the buttonhole attachment that I found separately at an estate sale but haven't tried it yet. Not sure if it needs to have a zigzag stitch? And as a final note, you have mentioned in the past having a potential interest in tailoring so I thought you might looking at the 1940s booklet online on tailoring a women's suit https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=fpge7vLLUGIC&pg=GBS.PA1

In love with this! I have always admired the photo of the walk away but everyone I have ever seen make it, meh. And on a second note… the top you have on in the intro. 😍

This is the first version of the walkaway dress that makes me like: I want one too! Very clever to put a full pencil skirt under it. Love it. I have to look into my stash methinks 🧐

This was not on my 2023 bingo card but I couldn’t be happier😂💖💖💖

I absolutely LOVE your version of the Walkaway Dress. I never liked the idea of the back of the under skirt being open in the back and you cleverly addressed that issue in your magical way. Also, your dress silhouette speaks (IMHO) more actually to the original pattern drawing with a slimmer skirt. Absolutely Devine. Thank you!

This is so STUNNING! 🤩 I love all the mods you made.

Love the way the dress turned out! Also, I know you mentioned potentially collecting more machines, and I highly recommend you check out the Singer 301. It is to Singer what the Mustang is to Ford: it's their signature machine for the brand from the 1950s.

I like your modifications. Maybe I'll make this dress, after all--your way. Happy writing!