Burda 7442, Knit Dress with Pannier Pockets

Miguelina Marina (once sold on Gilt, can't find a better reference)

Source: gilt.com via Trena on Pinterest

The pannier style is a little weird and fashiony, but for some reason I love it (last seen in my Drape Drape dress of a couple years ago).  Counterintuitively, I find it flattering on a pear shape with large hips and thighs--those curves are meant to be part of the silhouette.

I love that Joann now has occasional sales on Burda envelope patterns and at the last one I picked up Burda 7442, which also comes with a jumpsuit in the envelope.  I don't think I'm going there but it's an option. 
Size 34-42






The bodice is meant to be fully lined, but that seemed unnecessary, so I cut it single layer.  As usual for a wrap style, I shortened the front crossover for an SBA, though I needed to shorten it even more.  As an ad hoc additional SBA, I overlapped the bodice sections about an inch more than they were drafted for--the notches in the photo mark centers front and are supposed to be lined up.


The panniers/pockets are drafted as giant projections on the side of the skirt.  To sew the skirt and bodice together, you clip into the skirt's waist seam allowance where the pocket begins.  You are supposed to just leave those ends flapping, but I found it difficult to make sure they were properly caught into the waist seam so I used a narrow zigzag to join them.





The seam allowances are meant to be exposed at the waist seam.  That look can work in a cotton or rayon jersey, but in a polyester print with a definite wrong side that would just be droopy and sad.  The bodice and skirt have different seam allowances at the waist, so I marked both seam allowances and joined them along that line, offsetting the upper edges.

Once it was sewn, I turned down the seam allowances and stitched them to make a casing for the waist elastic.

I found this green picot elastic at PR Weekend Montreal and was just tickled, as it is one of my colors.  It doesn't like to be sewn and I had to hand baste the whole thing in, ugh, but I think it's a nice touch at the bodice, especially at that crossover.

You can also see the stitched in elastic casing on this shot.


Because of fabric limitations, I had to shorten the pocket/pannier extension several inches.  I suspect you'd have this problem even if the pockets are full size, but mine did not want to stay put.


I put on the dress, tucked in the pockets to what seemed the optimal place, and pinned.  I took a few hand tacks at the pin to keep the pocket in place.










This is a fun pattern.  I realized after I started laying it out that my fabric was a border print.  I didn't have enough of it to be very strategic about my layout (centering the turquoise motifs in the middle of the skirt, rather than the side), but I think the somewhat jester-y final result fits the style of the dress.  I was able to cut the back to center that large medallion motif.


I'm not sure I'll make another of these--a little goes a long way with this style--but the bodice is incredibly flattering on me--almost makes me look boobalicious. I will be reusing it with a different skirt.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.