Burda Style 06/2014 - 108 Dress

It's still June and here is a dress from the June issue and I also have a pair of shorts just waiting to be hemmed, probably a first and it says a lot about how I think Burda is on a bit of a roll lately with the good patterns.

Sometimes I just flick through the magazine and look at the photos and line drawings, sometimes I take my time and actually read it which can be very entertaining.  This dress is described as follows;

"Putting this figure hugging dress together is just like ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging."

Now maybe it's just because I left off all the plisse fabric bits, but if you are hoping to become an expert at ikebana you are going to be disappointed. (which is a shame because I just google imaged it and it is very lovely!).

If however you want a great dress you will not be disappointed!

I love how this turned out, and I think it can work as a semi casual dress, like mine here in cotton or as a cocktail dress in dupion or brocade.  I think too that the bodice would look great with a full gathered or circle skirt, again as a party dress or a summery dress depending on the fabric.

The changes I made here were to raise the neckline and extend the wrapover (Burda called it low cut which usually means navel baring on me) and as mentioned above I left off the plisse insert and belt.  This is easy to do, the left front skirt piece has the centre front marked, I just used this as the fold line.  I also shortened my version to just on the knee.

The fabric is the large scale ikat print that I bought on this trip and said was going to be a pencil skirt.  Luckily I had bought 2 yards so had enough to change my mind and make this dress.  I didn't attempt to pattern match other than to centre the motifs and make sure I didn't have big pink blobs somewhere inappropriate and I think it is OK.

The original has a self lined bodice, I used a lightweight cotton since my fabric was just very slightly see through.  I also lined the skirt for the same reason.  The lining gave me a bit of trouble with the wrapover fronts since they are separately lined and I hacked a way to get the inside looking halfway decent.  Here is what I did for the record, I am certain there is a better way (centre back zip?, draft a separate 1 piece front lining? If anyone knows the answer please shout out in the comments.....)

• kept lining and bodice separate at zip side seam
• stitched main fabric of skirt to bodice for only about an inch either side of the zip side seam
• insert zip, keeping lining free
• finish rest of main fabric skirt/bodice seam
• insert skirt lining to seam allowances of skirt/bodice seam just sewn
• handstitch remaining unsewn bodice lining to skirt lining and lining edges to zip

needed a bit more lining fabric here!

front lining

hand hemmed skirt

Other than the lining issue it was easy to put together, I cut a 38 at the shoulders and waist, blending out to a 40 at the bust and hips which along with the front extension shown above gave me a decent fitting bodice which I am sure I will use again.  I did still slipstitch it together at the crossover just in case.  After the wadder I just posted I am now a happy camper, really recommend trying this pattern if it's your style.