Pattern Review: Betty Dress by Sew Over It London
The Betty Dress stood out to me as being one that is hugely popular on all the sewing blogs I read, and it looks rather cool too.
It’s a 50s inspired dress, with a big circle skirt, and I decided a while back that I’d even be tempted to wear it (if the fabric were dark enough)!
So, as I hadn’t bought a commercial pattern in years – actually, I don’t think I’ve ever bought a commercial pattern, as the ones I have used were my Ma’s, my Gran’s or freebies! – I decided as someone who is now producing and selling her own digital patterns, that I should really be clued up on what’s out there.
Editing Note: This post was originally written on 14th November 2016. I’ve recently updated the costs and sizing options in July 2025!
Betty Dress Costs
Let’s start with the costs involved in making the Betty Dress pattern!
The price of the PDF digital pattern, which you get immediate access to, is £8.50. (Editing note: at the time of updating this blog post in July 2025, I’m astonished to say that the cost of the PDF pattern is now significantly more at £14!)
The price of printing the 75 pages is probably about £1 for the paper if you’re like me and get the cheap 500 page pack of paper. Then there is also the ink cost, which I’m not even going to try to work out – let’s say £1 too?
You can then see why the digital version is quite a bit cheaper than the printed version. I myself have looked into the costs of having my patterns printed properly, and they’re not as cheap as you’d hope.
In fact – it looks like Sew Over It no longer offer the Betty Dress sewing pattern as a paper pattern in 2025!
If you want help with modifications – necklines or sleeves – you’ll need to pay an extra £7 for the Betty Add On pack. Which takes the total price for the PDF pattern and printing to about £23!
And.. then you’ll need to factor in the fabric cost too, which is likely to be 3.5 – 4 times the meter cost!
Printing Time
This took a while. Initially I thought I could be a cheapskate and print using my printer’s B&W draft mode, but not only did the printer spew the pages out ridiculously fast and rattle around like a child was jumping up and down on it, but the pattern lines also came out so wobbly, it was impossible to line them up.
So, I printed it all again – this time properly! If you order directly from Sew Over It you can (at the time of updating) pay varying amounts to have the pattern printed by them and sent to you.
As a guide, they have printing only the Betty pattern (not including the add on pack) listed as follows:
- PDF only £14
- PDF + printing sizes 6-20 = £21
- PDF + printing sizes 18-30 = £24.50
- PDF + printing all sizes = £31.50
Excuse me while I take a seat from the shock! 😆
Assembling The Betty Dress Pattern
Once the pattern has been printed out (and you’ve saved a small fortune!) you’ll need to stick them all together and then either cut or trace the individual pattern pieces out.
One thing I struggled with was getting the circle skirt sections to join nicely. I ended up with some slightly mismatched sections on the seams as the pages wouldn’t align perfectly for me, and so I had to tweak it accordingly. I am 100% certain this is down to me but next time I make this I’ll probably just use my Circle Skirt Templates pack to create the circle skirt section – it’ll save on printing and cutting!
Especially as I bought my PDF copy of the pattern long before they expanded the sizing, so I probably wouldn’t even fit into the size I originally printed. Yikes.
Betty Dress Fabric Choice
I really struggle with fabric selection once a pattern is decided on. I work much better if I source a fabric I like, and then design around it. A lot of my creations have happened with my own fabric design, or a rare fabric that I have fallen in love with which then inspires the design.
Lately, I’ve struggled to find anything that excites me.
I visited Berwick Street TWICE looking for something special, and only on the last trip did I spot something that COULD work. It’s not dark, but it is a colour and fabric that would look good dressed up with my tailored jacket or dressed down with my gold trainers.
This is the fabric I decided on…
Selecting A Betty Dress Size
I’ve grown since I last made a dress for myself.
The boobs, tum and bum are curvier now. So selecting the right size by measuring carefully – and not just guessing – was important!
Initially I opted for a smaller size as I forgot that seam allowance is included, and more than I am used too. Once I realised this, I opted for a slightly bigger size than I am on my bust – Sew Over It sizing has me as a UK14! – and set to tracing out the pattern pieces.
The pattern was easy to trace and I even traced off the facing patterns rather than making my own.
Sewing The Betty Dress
Before even attempting to cut and sew the real deal, I first made a toile / muslin of the dress to check the fit on me. I wanted it to be a tad loose as I’m not one for really fitted woven garments and the toile did fit almost perfectly.
I took in the waist slightly on both the bodice and the skirt as I have a rather small waist compared to the rest of me!
The Final Betty Dress
Betty really is a very easy dress to sew:
- Two darts sewn up from the front waist
- Two darts sewn up from the back waist.
- A circle skirt sewn at the side seams
- Skirt attached to the bodice at the waist.
- All in one neckline and armhole facings attached.
- A nice long invisible zipper in the centre back and the job was done.
My Impressions Of The Betty Dress
I loved the Betty Dress. And D loved seeing me wearing the Betty Dress.
The only thing I didn’t like was my fabric choice. I think it really detracted from the dress, but as I wasn’t even sure it would be a good look on me, I had opted for the cheapest fabric option in the correct fabric weight while maintaining my sustainability beliefs.
The fabric was also a PAIN to press. This is me testing it out, before a good pressing. I’ll add a fresh pic once the rain stops and I can get a decent photo minus the creases and sleepy expression!
Editing Note: this dress stopped fitting me about a year after making it in 2016! I am 9 years older, about 6 dress sizes bigger, and have yet to make a new version!
What I suspect I shall end up doing is embellishing the dress in some way, so that it is more textured and fits more with what I like to wear.
I might also modify the neckline somewhat. Instead of having the zip opening at the centre back seam, I wonder what it might look like if it was a button down front? With a snazzy collar yet still with a low back?
Hmmm… Maybe watch this space for further developments? 😉
Have you made the Sew Over It ‘Betty Dress’? How did you find it? Would you sew it again? Let me know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post on the Betty Dress, check out this Create Your Own Clothes post, this post on learning sewing or perhaps this post about my plan to recreate a Daenerys Targaryen dress from Game of Thrones!
Final editing note: oh my goodness, how old school is the pin image I made below? I haven’t seen that color combination or font since 2017! Wow! 😆
Looks beautiful on you.