Wednesday 3 March 2010

The first dress of spring - Burda Style 7557

I’m going on vacation next week and in an ideal world I would have started sewing a beautifully co-ordinated vacation wardrobe some months ago. But I didn’t. I really must work on my time management skills! I have, however, completed this

The pattern is this one

It's Burda Style 7557, which comes in petite sizes 18 to 25, designed for short, half size people like me! If, however, you are a regular size person, you might be interested to know that this pattern is exactly the same as Burda Style pattern no. 7774 which comes in sizes 36 to 50. Burda describe it as “a slender dress with empire waist, fitted and feminine, with a low neckline”. When they say fitted, they weren’t kidding! I made up a muslin, using my regular Burda size, and it was snug. To be fair to Burda I wouldn’t say it was technically too small I would just say that personally I prefer for a daytime dress to be a little less figure hugging. When cutting the actual fabric I just added a little to the side seams which gave me the breathing space I needed!

I made it in a stretch cotton that I purchased from Gorgeous Fabrics. The pattern doesn’t include a lining and, as the fabric has some body and I wanted this to be a casual dress, I decided not to add a lining. However if I were to make it in the kind of satin fabric that Burda have used in their photographs, then I would have lined it.

The pattern suggests quite a lot of topstitching – the neckline, armholes, the darts and the empire waist seam. I like topstitching and I decided that with this print a heavy black thread would give it a nice definite, finished edge. I didn’t, however, topstitch the darts because I came to the conclusion that when you’ve got a D cup bust it might not be a good idea to have two black lines climbing up your front pointing to the bust apex. And, to keep it streamlined, I didn’t topstitch the empire waist seam either, just the neckline and armholes – here’s a close-up

I expect you’re wondering why I used a black zipper instead of a white one and, looking at this picture, so am I. When putting the zipper in I was only thinking of the outside not the inside – I’ll think it through better next time!

Anyway, with that now done, I am making this super easy A-line skirt, pattern 104 in the February issue of Burda magazine

Oh, and something I forgot to mention before, I’m doing the Understanding Knits online course on Pattern Review. I’m really enjoying it. What a revelation - who knew that there was so much to know about knit fabrics! I’ve never been entirely happy with my construction skills when making knits so I’m hoping this course will improve that. More soon ……

37 comments:

  1. Cute dress! and the black zipper doesn't bother me at all. Have a wonderful vacation :-)

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  2. Oh, what a lovely dress! Skilled! Have a great vacation....

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  3. What a great dress. Perfect for a sun holiday and perfect for summer (assuming we get a half-way-decent summer!)

    I like the fabric you chose. I think a black zipper was the right choice, even if it does contrast with the inside of the dress.

    Lately I've been thinking about the fact that it is easier to find great patterns than great fabric, especially where knit prints are concerned. I am looking forward to hearing your musing concerning knits once you have completed the course.

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  4. Cute dress! Love the print! Have fun on vacation!

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  5. I love your new dress and could surely use one just like it. I haven't made a casual dress for myself in a long time but you've inspired me to think about it with this dress. Have a great vacation. Gita

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  6. Great summer dress. Perfect for sipping on a cool drink in the afternoon I'd say!

    Have a wonderful vacation.

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  7. I would have done the same thing with the zipper too. I always match to the outside of the fabric! This is a lovely dress especially since I'm partial to paisley. Have a great vacation and enjoy!

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  8. Beautiful dress!!! It will be perfect for a summer vacation. Have a wonderful time!

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  9. Keep the dresses coming, they are lovely! I like the black zipper, too. It adds a nice contrast.

    Have a wonderful trip!

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  10. That's a very pretty dress. It has an oriental or maybe Hawaiian feel.

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  11. Very pretty dress! You are queen of the dresses lately. Have a fun time on vacation!

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  12. What a great dress. I really do like the fabric a lot and the fit and workmanship (black zip nonwithstanding)are fantastic.

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  13. Such a pretty dress! I love the fabric and the length.

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  14. Lovely dress! The fabric and style are perfect together. Very nice! Enjoy your vacation!

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  16. You did a beautiful job on that dress. I love how the zipper ties into the color palette of the dress. Nice choice. I also liked how you did the top stitching in black as well. It looks fabulous on you. Wear it well and have a wonderful vacation.

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  17. Have a wonderful time on your holiday.

    That dress is lovely. I love pink and black prints.

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  18. I like it! Me too, I would have gone with the black zipper too. Hmm, I wonder how I would look in this pattern...

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  19. Great dress, I would pick a black zipper, too.

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  20. You were made for the sheath dress!

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  21. Beautiful dress!! Great construction and it's a great fit on you. :)

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  22. Another great looking dress. Enjoy your vacation!!!

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  23. I like that fabric-colors,prints.I like that pattern.Is that my dress?LOL
    Beautiful dress!!! Have fun on vacation!

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  24. Enjoy your holiday! Is is Spring already????
    Another flattering, perfect dress!

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  25. That dress is GORGEOUS! I love the fabric, it makes me want to start sewing spring clothes (as I shiver in my office ;)

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  26. That is a lovley dress for spring. I wish spring would get to my part of the world. Have a wonderful time on your vacation.

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  27. Your dress is gorgeous. I love the print on the fabric.

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  28. You've been sewing up a storm since I last stopped by. This dress is a cute addition to the many beautiful things you have made.

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