239 Blonde Bombshell - Tips and Tricks

March 27, 2026

by Molly Hamilton

We finally were able to get our 239 Blonde Bombshell back into print this year.  And, graded into larger sizes.  And when we did, I realized what a simple dress this really is.  It is a striking dress -- fitted at the top, but baring shoulders and back, with a large circle skirt. The dress can be made in a cotton for a summer sundress or in silk dupioni for a winter formal dress.  And so much in between.  

I knew I wanted to make one for myself when we finished the pattern update, and I decided to use a cotton satin batiste from our collection.  The batiste has a bit of body, a floral print, and I knew it would work well.  I decided to make the view with that is tied behind the neck, and I am going to list some tips and tricks to making this dress below, from my experience.

Tips and Tricks

• Fitting: The dress is fit closest at the waist.  So make sure your waist measurement corresponds to the correct size you cut.  I measure a size Small at the waist, so I cut a size small for all pieces.  I am usually a size Medium at my hips, but since this is a large circle skirt, it is not at all fitted at the hips.  I was a little concerned that the bust would be a bit big for me, but the tie-behind-the-neck style gives a little more room for adjustment in the bust, and it fit fine.  If you have a larger bust, you can cut larger front bodice pieces and gather the underbust in more to fit the waistbands.  
• Seam finishing:  The bodice is fully lined, so that helps with seam finishing on the bodice.  I did not finish any bodice seams.  You can just press the bodice side seams open, or you can finish them if you want (French seams, serged, or pinked).  The skirt side seams can be finished made as a French seam, or you can finish by serging (or zigzagging) or pinking.  This will depend on your fabric.  I serged my skirt side seams, and those were the only seams I finished.  
• The front bodice overlap at the center waist works out quite well.  Just trust the process.  You will stitch all layers together in the center, catching the previous stitching.  Some patterns might say to stitch between the dots on either side of notch 1, but it really means to stitch to the previous stitching.  
• Trimming seams:  On the bodice, trim the seams by about 1/4" (6mm) after stitching and before you turn the fabric right side out.  For the upper part of the bodice, you will also clip into the seam allowance to allow the curves to turn more easily.  At the underarms, clip into the seam allowance (don't clip the seam), and at the top of the strap, you can clip V's into the seam allowance to take out some of the excess fabric in the seam allowance.  
  

• Zipper: I set in a center zipper, but you could also put in an invisible zipper very easily (and it might look better).  Just follow the directions for putting in an invisible zipper, and don't sew below the zipper until the zipper is installed.  I used a zipper that was about 6" shorter than what the pattern calls for (because that was all I had on hand - and it matched my fabric), but it was fine.  It still gave me plenty of room to get in and out of the dress (again, the wide circle skirt below the waist helps).  So, you can use a zipper that is a few inches shorter that what is recommended.  I turned down the Midriff Lining over the zipper, folded under 1/2" on each side of the lining and slipstitched everything in place to finish the zipper.

• Hemming:  I did as the instructions say and turned under 1/4" and another 1/4" to finish the hem, but you could also do a rolled hem for lightweight fabrics.  Or, a blind hem for just about any fabric.  

I love this dress and how it turned out, and I've had lots of compliments on it.  And I was pleasantly surprised how easy and quick it was to make.  Now I want to make a few more in different fabrics.  Have you made this dress?  Any other tips you want to offer?  Leave them in the comments.  

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