BurdaStyle Ballgown

I don't often go to very formal parties, but when I do I love to make something new.  I had no idea what I wanted so I just went fabric shopping and let that provide the inspiration.

The fabric I chose was a bold floral polyester brocade that I purchased in China.  While I was working on it I was amazed to see that Goodbye Valentino was working on a dress in the exact fabric.  So for once you can actually currently find this fabric at Mood!! - Brocade fabric from Mood.

This is a mix of 2 patterns, both of which are too old to still feature on the BurdaStyle website unfortunately.  I found the images on the Russian site for reference.

Bodice - 03/2008 - 119

Skirt - 07/2004 - 134 .  Previously made here and once again I left off the chiffon side godet pieces. Also, thank you earlier me for labelling that old blog post so I could find the pattern #.

I really procrastinated about whether to do the full skirt from the bodice pattern I had chosen, but in the end decided that it might be a bit too much going on with the floral fabric.  I think in a strapless style though, a full skirt would look amazing.

As usual I didn't leave myself a ton of time to make this so I haven't made many notes or taken many photos of the dress during construction, but let's see what I can remember.....

I interfaced the entire bodice, straightening out the waist seam and moved the darts on the skirt so that they would line up with the princess seams on the bodice.

With this type of dress I like to finish the whole of the outer dress, then make the lining and attach that by hand.  I didn't use the neckline facings, instead just reinforcing the neckline edge with some bias tape and then turning to the inside and hand stitching down.  To get a nice point on the centre of the front neckline, I used a small remnant of lining fabric, stitched the shape of the point, clipped, understitched and then turned and pressed to the inside.  I did the exact same thing on the lining fabric, without the bias tape and remembered to take a few photos which hopefully show better what I am talking about.

Lining remnant stitched right side together at v neckline & clipped at point

Understitched

View from right side after turning and pressing

View from wrong side

This is how the finished dress looked on the inside before the lining was sewn in.  If you make this I recommend cutting the sleeves with a bit extra seam allowance.  I am sure that they are intended to be self lined, but mine did not quite meet up in the middle leaving some exposed edges.  It didn't matter since I covered this with lining, but still it was a bit annoying!

Finally some more photos taken on the night of the party, these are all phone photos that I had to email to myself (thanks to broken cable connection and probably general tech incompetence) so they are a bit blurry, but hopefully you get the idea!  Overall I was really happy in my dress, maybe next time I go to a ball I will wear this again rather than make another one!

The night of the ball also happened to coincide with our 17th wedding anniversary!  We had a black tie wedding so my husband is wearing the exact outfit he wore back then, actually the bodice of mine was red with a similar neckline now I think about it, wonder if that was subconsciously in my mind all along!

BWOF 2008-02 jacket 115

I still haven't fixed the camera so am using an old one - the battery conks out after about 10 minutes so please excuse the hastily taken and very blurry photos of my progress on this project so far.

One good thing about BWOF patterns is that I think their sizing is pretty consistent so I am confident when picking which size to make.  This is good for me since I hate making muslins and only do it when absolutely necessary.  I know this is bad and wrong, but that's the way it is. However if I had done a muslin I would have realised that this jacket as drafted is not right for my figure.

Here's the back, I matched the fabric just at the upper back since the seam is not straight.  The pleat at the bottom is just basted in place at the moment.  I love the back view and I love the fabric.
Here's the top of the front with the collar just roughly pinned on to get the overall look.  Again I like this view too, definitely need some raglan shoulder pads though.  
And here is the full front.  Oh dear!  It looks like a shapeless rectangle on the dress form and it looks much the same on me.  For someone who is lean as a bean this would probably be great with a pair of skinny pants, but on me I just look like - well a big shapeless rectangle frankly.  I chose to lengthen the jacket and that was a mistake, the proportions are now all wrong.
But I am determined to try and fix it.  I'm going to unpick the zipper and make the whole jacket much shorter and more fitted.  Not quite sure how that's going to work out yet and I may just make a quick easy knit t shirt or something next and ponder on it for a while.  I could if I am honest have predicted this outcome from the line drawing of the jacket, but I liked the detailing so much that I ignored the little voices in my head warning me this would be too boxy.  That should teach me to do a muslin in future..... 

I love Fridays

Who doesn't I suppose. But mine are especially good because I don't work on a Friday and it is a real "me" day. I spend the morning doing my favourite gym classes of the week, have lunch and catch up with the internet or Project Runway if some kind soul has posted it on You Tube and then sew. (I saw the finale today, personally I am so happy that Christian won although all of the finalists showed great work. Whether you love him or hate him, the talent is undeniable - America's next top designer? - maybe, he's reminiscent of McQueen or Galliano in my completely unqualified opinion).

Anyway so I have been sewing for the past few hours, working on the jacket that seems to be taking forever to finish. I just have to topstitch one lapel and the collar stand and have run out of topstitching thread. Aaarrgh! I bought 2 reels of it so you can see how much topstitching there is on the jacket and how many sections I have ripped out because I wasn't happy with them. The place I need to go to get more thread is very near my office and there's no way I'm heading over there on my day off! I am really happy with the jacket so far though so bear with me for a few more days!

So I started to cut the fabric for this jacket - my BWOF sewalong project for the February issue. I must be crazy to be making another jacket, but that's what I committed to do and if I start changing my plans now I will end up dreaming and not actually sewing anything. Besides, I love jackets.
The fabric has a pattern which needs a bit of matching where I can so I am cutting on a single layer. I panicked a bit when I lifted one of the cut pieces and thought I had cut it double layer by mistake. What is this stuff? It seems to be two layers of very lightweight fabric with loose threads in between which are just caught in places to create the floral pattern.   I can see my sewing room is going to be such a mess!

I'm also pondering how to finish the inside of the jacket, it's unlined, but I really want to add interfacing to parts of it so I will probably add a lining myself.

My Butterick patterns also arrived yesterday to add to the ever growing pile of things I'd like to make someday. I need to rewatch some of those Project Runway episodes and learn how to sew as fast as Christian!

Next projects - Vogue Montana jacket and BWOF 02/2008

I almost bought this pattern in the latest Vogue patterns $6.99 sale.  I'm glad that I didn't because when I had a bit of a tidy up I discovered that I already had it!  So I figured I must really like it and I had better make it before I try and buy it again.  I have some black denim in my stash for it so it will be easy to match zippers.  I may add some contrasting topstitching to highlight the interesting seamlines - I'll experiment and see.  I don't bother tracing off these patterns so I'm about to start cutting it - there are 24 pieces for the jacket - yikes!  This may not be a quick project!

So to keep my interest up I'll also have a couple of other things on the go from the latest BWOF issue - Feb 08.  I want to make jacket 115 below, but I don't have the right fabric so I feel a little shopping trip coming on this weekend, which may of course end up changing all my plans!

I still want to make the sleeveless tie neck top and have this cut in a remnant of silk.  However this is on hold because 1) my machine won't sew the silk - I think I just need a smaller needle and 2) I'm completely foxed by the instructions at the moment, maybe they'll sink in after percolating on them for a bit.

I'm also thinking about a jersey top for a quick sewing fix.  Toya's fabulous New Look top reminded me that I also have this pattern lurking in my cupboard, maybe time to make it up.

Well enough waffle, I have 24 jacket pieces to cut out before my enthusiasm disappears!

BWOF 2008/01 - 120 Top Finished

I have finished the Pattern Review BWOF January sewalong project. These photos show the collar being worn up, down and also a close up of the front fastening and trim detail.  You can see my full review here. This is the first time that I have participated in a sewalong and I found it really motivating so will definitely be continuing to do the monthly BWOF projects. Next I shall have to think about entering a contest.....

BWOF 2008/01 - 120 Top ; Progress in pictures

Here is the top so far. It is largely still only pinned together but you can see the general idea. You can see the problem with the slightly transparent fabric, but the dressform is dark, on me it's less noticeable. This is one of the stranger garments I've made and the instructions are quite confusing. The front and back have collar pieces attached and then there are 2 additional single layer collars which sit on top of that. Here is a close up photo to try and show that. It's not very clear how to finish the collars on the inside so I am just going to do my own thing - still experimenting with that. I am pleased with the trim I found, not too lacy and makes a big difference to the overall look of the shirt - it was starting to remind me either of a doctors coat or chef whites before!

BWOF 2008/01 - 120 Top Update & BWOF 2008/02

Well I am back from Oz and it's still freezing here and will be until the weekend, I want to get straight back on the plane for warmer climates, but the next best thing is to get in the sewing room (with a heater on full blast).

I adjusted the top pattern to add about 1 inch FBA and have cut the fabric and started putting it together, this part is happening quite fast but I am not feeling love for this top right now. It's hard to see how the whole thing will look until the collar is completed so I am going to persevere and should get it finished at the weekend. The main problem I have I think is that the fabric is slightly transparent which means that when the top is wrapped over you can see all the underwrap - tie, wrinkles and all. I also need to add more shaping on the side seams to make it fit me better which is an easy adjustment. I'm planning on picking up some lace trim this week so I can finish the collar and then I'll post some pictures. I have found that I am much more objective and see things I might otherwise have missed when looking at photos compared to the mirror.

I picked up the February BWOF as soon as I got back - priorities! - and really love this issue. It seems to be more spring oriented than I can remember February issues being in the past which at the rate I sew is a good thing. There are lots of things I like;

103A twist front dress - intrigued, but a little unsure of this design, definitely one to do in a muslin first
107 chiffon v neck dress - in reality probably too plunging for me, but I love the design, maybe for hot summer holiday....
113 sundress with flounce - love this for a printed summer dress, would lengthen it for me
115 zip front jacket with ruffled collar - love this design would want it more fitted than the photo appears to be though
116 waistcoat blouse - jacket shaping that I can wear into the summer
119 sleeveless tie neck top - don't know if this will suit me or not, but it's quick & easy so it's traced and will try this next
121 3/4 length pants - great summery basic, like the wide leg
123A jersey blouson top - again not sure if this will suit me, but quick to find out

Will I make all of these - it's extremely unlikely, but I hope a few of these pieces will make it into my summer wardrobe. Top 119 will the be first one that I test out.

Next project BWOF 01/2008 120 blouse

I've reached a decision on my next project - it's going to be this blouse for the Pattern Review BWOF January sewalong. I'm swapping the long sleeves to the short ones shown on dress 121 though (I'm ever hopeful that this winter is going to end soon!) - the basic pattern pieces are the same so this is an easy change to make.

I traced the pattern last night and maybe it was too late at night but I had lots of difficulty with it. The problems started when I traced a piece from sheet E instead of sheet F and once I spotted that, I had problems finding which lines were for 120 and which were for 121. Hopefully I won't end up with something too weird! I still need to make adjustments to the pattern for an FBA, but that will have to wait for another week until I get back from my trip to Australia.

I'm planning on making this in a white self striped stretch cotton from my stash and will keep an eye out for some trim for the collar and something for the side closure.

By the way I finished off the brown pants last night and will post a separate review for them when I get back, they're going in my suitcase now! See you in a week, sunshine here I come!

BWOF 2008/01 - 116 Wrap Top

Yay I made something from January BWOF in January.  Admittedly it is probably the quickest and easiest thing to make from the magazine.

My resident photographer is in Beijing this week and I could not get a useful picture on my dressform, so with the camera on self timer and balancing on a pile of books (the camera, not me) this is the best I could do....

The fabric is a Missoni inspired print from my recent splurge at Gorgeous Fabrics.  I made my usual size 38 and I have to say it is a little snug even with reduced seam allowances on the sleeves and sideseams.  This is either because

• Burda have not been as consistent as usual in sizing
• My fabric is thicker or less stretchy than it should be  
• I have some post Christmas "baggage" to get rid of

Sadly I think I know the answer!  

Overall it was very easy to put together and the instructions were pretty straightforward too. The only thing I did differently to the instructions was to sew the sleeves in flat and then sew the sleeve and side seam as one.  I also lengthened the ties by around 4 inches.  I think once I have dealt with my little problem above I will be happier with this top.  I love the colours in the fabric which make it really versatile and I like the fact this top has a built in camisole front to make it easy to wear.  I'll post some better photos when I have some.