This dress is from the Spring 2006 Burda Special issue, which was a plus-size magazine. I made it once before, way back when it first came out, and remembered liking its easy yet tailored fit. The bodice with vertical darts attaches to a skirt with four sections for a hint of fit and flare. Most of the other dresses I've made lately all have gathered skirts, so this was a nice change.
Only a small style change was needed. I sew a lot from Burda magazines, but almost always end up "dumbing down" their designs to suit my classic tastes. Many of their styles seem extreme to me with details that are just plain crazy. But they have solid drafting and I enjoy getting the magazines, so I stay alert for designs that have good bones. This dress features an absolutely huge collar stand and would probably look lovely on someone with a long graceful neck. I reduced the width of the stand by an inch and it is still oversized, but within my tolerance. I also opted to leave off the collar.
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| Line drawing to show the style |
Tracing a pattern that doesn't have seam allowances makes it easy to alter while you trace. In this case I did shoulder alterations - 3/8" forward shoulder and 1/2" narrow shoulder. Some flat pattern measuring indicated that I would need a much larger size for the skirt than the bodice. That skirt has an A-line shape, but it's a narrow A. To fit the larger skirt to the bodice, I added darts that would line up with the darts on top.
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| It's not actually floor length. The dress form is a lot shorter than I am. |
The fabric is a linen tencel blend that is woven like a lightweight denim. Because of that, and because I just felt like doing some slow sewing with extra nice finishing, I decided to do flat felled seams and have clean finishing throughout.
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| collar topstitching |
Interfacing came from my scrap pile. I've never had much success when I've tried to repurpose old makes that didn't get worn much or that I outgrew, so they go into a pile. I really prefer sew-in interfacings and have bemoaned how hard it is to find them. Duh! I've got a great big pile of interfacing, every weight imaginable. A compatible piece of linen was just right.
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| Sleeve and skirt hem finished with a double row of topstitching. It doesn't show well in the photo but with a bit of washing and wearing, it should become more pronounced. |
Everything was going beautifully until it was time to sew the side seams on the skirt. I did a pin basting and tried it on...and wished that it had more ease. Unfortunately, that was the end of my dream of completely finished seams, because I was going to have to sew them at a mere quarter inch to get an extra 2" of ease all around. (Glad that I had allowed 5/8") After stitching, serging the seam allowances together, pressing to one side and then edgestitching, I'm confident that they are strong enough to wear well.
This dress will be good for fall and winter wear, with its longer sleeves and long midi length that will hide the tops of my knee high compression socks! Thumbs up.
