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Thursday 27 May 2010

Burda 05/2010 105 - The One Dot Dress

First thank you so much for all the comments on my last project! Can you believe I have made something else from the same issue and also cut out a jacket from June's issue - things are really looking up.

For some reason decent knits are quite hard to come by in Hong Kong so when I found some great navy knit fabric I grabbed it. Not very imaginatively I instantly thought of this pattern.

This dress pattern is rated only one dot and I promise it is the easiest dress in the world to sew. For anyone out there still a bit nervous about trying a Burda magazine pattern this is the one to start with. There are two pattern pieces plus 2 rectangles for the skirt. And for those of you with a longer attention span than me I think you can make this dress in less than an hour (even less if you can cut neatly and don't bother finishing the hems).

I cut my skirt pieces wider than the pattern suggested because I thought the magazine version looked a bit tight on the model, but actually I think I added a bit too much so I have more gathers at the waist than I would like. I also added quite a deep hem on mine to get the slightly shorter length I wanted.

This will get tons of wear over the summer and I will definitely be making it again when I find the right fabric. As well as being super comfortable, I think this pattern can work for day, dressed up with jewelry and heels for night and even as a poolside cover-up.

It's a winner - make it!

I took these pictures just as the sun was going down and as I was beginning to be eaten by some kind of flying insects so they are a bit rushed, but I couldn't wait till tomorrow to share this one.

(A quick edit following some comments - surprisingly the dress isn't too gappy under the arms, I don't know why, it's a mystery I know - perhaps in a very thin very drapy silk jersey it might be a problem, but my fabric sticks out a bit so nothing shows. It fits well on the shoulders, no slippage at all.)



42 comments:

  1. Beautiful dress and very flattering on you!

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  2. Looks very versatile. Gotta love a one dot pattern! Just wondering how low are the underarms? Looks like it might be a bit peek-a-boo.

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  3. This dress looks so cool and comfortable. I don't have the magazine in front of me, but I recall being concerned about how low the arm hole opening was on this dress, with the drapping and because in the picture on the model it looked quite low, below bra level. On your dress, it looks just fine.

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  4. Good point Vicki, yes they are a bit low, but there's quite a bit of drapy fabric under the arms so it's not as much of a problem as I thought it might be, I certainly don't feel a need to wear a cami or clamp my arms to my side!

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  5. I LOVE that dress!!! I definitely want to make that. It looks so elegant on you.

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  6. Beautiful dress, very glamorous! I think that your version of this dress looks much better on you than it does on the model in the magazine.

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  7. I too was concerned with the tightness on the model. Yours looks fabulous! I'm getting out the fabric and mag now. Thanks for the tip on the skirt- your length is great.

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  8. This is lovely! I see it with a wide belt, the kind you wear loose. Do the shoulders stay in place or do they slip one side or the other?

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  9. Very pretty dress..looks wonderful on you!

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  10. Allison - pretty dress! Can you contact me at cnorman underscore 98 at yahoo.com. I want to confirm June 4th with you and tell you whose coming and where we are meeting!

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  11. Me Likey!! i have had this on my list since the issue showed up. believe it or not, my navy knit fabric from my stash was calling my name too :O) Guess I will put this on the long list of memorial day weekend sewing!

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  12. Oooh! this looks so airy and comfortable to wear. When I saw the photo in the magazine I thought it might be a shapeless mess in real life (Burda is so deceptive sometimes!) but now see that it's quite flattering.

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  13. Very nice Allison you gotta love a one dot pattern as stylish as this .

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  14. I LOVE it!! Wonder where I can get a copy of this Burda - it'd be worth buying just for this pattern! Which edition is it again?

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  15. I love that dress! You make me want to track down that issue of Burda!

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  16. Thanks for your review! I think it looks fabulous on you, and I'm relieved to hear that the armholes aren't too low. Can't wait to try it now!

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  17. Trena just told me this weekend to make this dress. But, I was super worried about it being too clingy in the lower body. You give me hoe because this is FANTASTIC!

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  18. I'm working on this one this weekend. I love how yours turned out. It very versatile like you said and can be dressed up or down. I think it can even work in a club setting with a shorter hemline.

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  19. Wow, that looks much better and nicer than I thought it would from the magazine. I looked at it and found it uninspiring, but now that I see it on you it tempts me.

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  20. Okay, I'm sold! Looks fantastic on you!

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  21. That's a wonderful dress and it looks gorgeous on you, and comfortable at the same time. I love that combination :-)

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  22. It's fantastic on you! It's a winner.

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  23. I love it!
    I can imagine this dress getting a lot of wear in summer - for it's ease and comfort, and it's stylish element!

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  24. Every version of this dress I have seen I like, you look wonderful!

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  25. I love black summer dresses! This one is gorgeous! nice photo!

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  26. Gorgeous dress. I love the simplicity of the draping.

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  27. Allison, this looks fabulous on you. I'm keen to experiment with draping so this may be the pattern to try when this issue arrives down under (we are a few months behind, I think to tie in with the Australian seasons). In some ways it works well as we get see the previews!!! Thanks for sharing.

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  28. I can't wait until this issue comes- thanks for the review!

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  29. Definitely a winner, you look stunning in it!

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  30. WOW. Hard to believe it's a one-dot pattern and it looks that good! Great choice to follow along in navy. (Hey, my word verification is 'cathi'--funny.)

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  31. This dress has all the characteristics to be a hit of summer, it looks beautiful on you

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  32. Great dress! And incredibly flattering!

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  33. Very chic and looks super comfortable. I was concerned about the underarms, too, but with or without a cami, it seems to be fine.

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  34. This is such a great summer dress! And all the better that it was super-easy to make. Isn't a quick pattern so wonderful?

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  35. Love it! I made on too, which I will eventually review.

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  36. I love this dress! Nice job --- I think I need one as well!

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  37. I'm glad you ended up making this one! I really think it works for a multitude of body shapes and you look fabulous in it! I have gotten tons of use out of mine, too.

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  38. It's pretty much the perfect, versatile, dress-up or dress-down dress- and so chic to boot! Your style and skill are just incredible.

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  39. Oooh that dress looks fabulous on you.

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  40. This is a nice dress. it's much cuter than the photo in mag.

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