Pages

Wednesday 14 February 2018

BurdaStyle 01/2018 - 118 Dress

Thank you for the comments on my wrap coat, I got very frustrated with trying to find a pattern to work with the fabric, but a bit of space from the process always helps.  It will be the perfect thing to wear this weekend for Chinese New Year I think.

Back to the Burda 2018 Challenge, those of you who follow my sewing instagram account (@allisoncsewing) will already have seen a preview of this dress.  This was the pattern that really jumped out at me from the January issue although I will not be wearing mine over a sweater like they did in the magazine.  I'm always a bit suspicious when they do things like that - did it not fit right; is there a big gaping hole at the knot part?

The pattern is also available as a pdf at the link below.  There are also a few more photos here (without the sweater!) which is helpful.

BurdaStyle 01/2018 - 118



It's clearer from the photo that the waistline sits just below the natural waist, something I didn't notice until I took photos of the finished dress on my dressform.  

Recommended fabrics for the dress are "dress fabrics" which is not particularly helpful!  The Burda sample used a stretch viscose crepe and it certainly looked like a dress where some stretch would be a good thing.  I used a ponte fabric in a very dark purple colour that honestly looks almost black and is just as impossible to photograph.  The reverse side is actually black so I was originally planning on using the fabric for something colour blocked, but wanted to get on and make this dress instead so here we are.



The pattern is rated 3 dots which means "intermediate, for advanced learners".  The instructions are a bit scarily long and the front bodice pieces are unusual looking, but it goes together quite easily - the little pattern piece diagrams are marked with seam numbers which is really helpful to refer to as you go through the instructions.

I did make a couple of minor changes - since I made this out of ponte I was able to leave the zipper off and I also did not line the dress which cuts the instructions in half!  A few people have commented that there could/should be pockets in those front skirt seams and I think that would be quite easy to do although personally I don't need any extra bulk around the tummy in a form fitting skirt.

The only part of construction that gave me difficulty was stitching the pleats in place on the inside, it wasn't really obvious to me what to sew to what in a way that was both invisible and secure.  I just experimented with pins until I got something I was happy with, but it's not quite right and does pull a little bit now I've stitched it securely (probably too securely!).




The other bit of important information I missed is tucked away under the section marked Paper Pattern Pieces where it advises that the pleat arrows on piece 21 are marked for size 36 and should be lengthened for other sizes.  I made a 38 in the bodice grading out to a 40 at the hip so it isn't much of a difference, but I think that those pleats should have been a bit longer - no one is going to know though and I am definitely not opening up that bodice again to fix it!

Anyway, in conclusion I love this dress as much as I hoped I would from when I first saw the line drawing, it was interesting to put together and hopefully I will get plenty of wear out of it before it gets too hot.






20 comments:

  1. What a beautiful elegant dress.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So nice to see this one made up- it’s as good as I thought it would be! Beautiful colour fabric too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wonderful dress! That neckline is so unique. Thanks for sharing your note about the pleat length markings!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Really nice dress, and it looks beautiful on you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Such a lovely dress, and very flattering.

    ReplyDelete
  6. love it. those pleated twisty dresses are a good exercise for the sewing brain :) I would try this except for my attempt at a dress moratorium :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. So excited to read your blog post after all the beautiful pics on Instagram. Can't wait to make this!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Tres chic! So glad to see this sewn up since I had the same suspicions about the turtle neck.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Alison that's lovely. I'm in the Burda challenge too and I wished I'd picked that dress. Crikey though I'm finding the tracing and instructions more of a challenge than expected!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes they do take a bit of getting used to! I've been using them for years, but still find the odd pattern that is just impossible!

      Delete
  10. That's a beautiful dress, great job you've done! I just happened upon your blog - I'm learning to sew and love Burda patterns so I'll be following you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, you're clearly a very talented artist - learning to sew should be easy in comparison...!

      Delete
  11. Ah, I love this! It looks so good. Great to know that the pattern is good too - it’s no fun to be too suspicious of the Burda drafting when going into a complex project like this. You dress looks so awesome, I’m sure you’ll get some great use out of it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lovely dress; it's so elegant and feminine and looks great on you.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The design reminds me of a Delpozo design. It looks great!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had to go and google Delpozo and went down a rabbit hole of great designs. Now following them on pinterest which should give me lots of inspiration - thank you!

      Delete
  14. Oh I'm so glad to have found your blog! I have traced this lovely pattern but have no directions to go with because the Burda Style magazine I got is in Russian!! Do you have any plans to make the BurdaStyle 01/2018 #122 dress? I am trying to make that one too but have no English directions! Please contact me if you can at areeldoll@gmail.com, thanks so much!!

    ReplyDelete