Burda 11-2011-120, Ruffle Front Red Dress

While I have not been loving Burda lately, there is generally at least one piece I like in each magazine. Burda 11-2011-120 immediately caught my eye in the magazine.  That ruffle down the front is a great tummy disguiser *and* bust builder--two for the price of one!  I sewed it in some red double knit I bought in NYC in November 2010 for $2/yd--a huge bargain as the fabric is quite nice.

 This dress comes in sizes 38-46, meaning I had to grade down 2 sizes to a 34 at the shoulders and bust.  Grading two sizes on the (not so) new roadmap pattern sheets makes me want to claw my eyes out.  While I have kept up my Burda subscription, I sew way more from old issues than current ones, so the new pattern sheets are always an ugly surprise when I pull out a newer issue.  I think that is part of the reason they have gone to 80% sack dresses--they're the only thing that isn't horrible to trace.





This pattern only works for fabrics with no discernible wrong side.  The center front seam is sewn wrong sides together several inches from the edge of the fabric and the extra "seam allowance" forms the ruffle.  I made view B, on which the ruffle ends several inches above the hem.  On View A, it continues all the way down.

To mark the center front seam, I stuck pins into the pattern piece and cut fabric at about 4 inch intervals at the marked seam line.  I folded back the pattern at each pin in sequence, marking at the pin on both left and right front.  Be sure to mark on the *right* side of the fabric, as you will eventually be stitching on the right side.






The pattern comes with the choice of a fairly standard band collar and a more dramatic high collar.  I went for drama.

I ignored Burda's directions for the collar, mostly because I didn't want to puzzle them out.  They involve something to do with trimming the allowances off the undercollar and finishing it with ribbon.  In the end, I probably should have tried to decipher them, or come up with a different method because the finish is not great.

First, I stitched the outer collar to the neckline, stopping at the stitch marking on the end.  Next I sewed the under collar to the outer collar, again stopping at the stitch marking as you can see in the photo.  After both collars were sewn on, I trimmed the ends beyond the stitching.

(BTW, pay no attention to how horrible the finish is on the ruffle.  I bought a new serger in the middle of this project and had it overnighted because I was so impatient to finish the dress!  The old finish was trimmed off and a put in a fabulous new rolled hem.  More on the new serger later.)



To finish the collar, I hand-stitched the under collar to the allowance.  However, because the seam comes to a point at the end I had to roll the under collar over and the raw edges are not enclosed at the very end.  I don't like the way it looks.


In the end, I'm not sure I know a better way to finish a collar like this that tapers to nothing at the end (a facing isn't possible because of the way the ruffle is formed).  If I make this again, I will just use the traditional band collar, which has enough height at the end to tuck the seam allowance up into it.




To gather the front ruffle, I ran machine basting stitches on either side of the ruffle.  I tried on the dress and adjusted the ruffles to my preference.  Burda gives the length to which the ruffle should be gathered, but I wanted to distribute the gathering in the most flattering way for my body.

  Once the gathering was in place, I pinned a ribbon to the underside of the ruffle, per Burda's instructions. Then from the front I stitched in the ditch by hand, catching the ribbon, as you can see in the photo (here is my line of hand stitching). You could definitely use the machine for the this step, but I always have a hard time making sure I'm catching the ribbon on the underside in this sort of situation and hand sewing gives better control.






I was concerned that my stitch-in-the-ditch wouldn't necessarily hold the gathers exactly as I wanted them, so I next ran a line of machine stitching on either side of the CF seam, between the seam and the row of gathering thread.  With three rows of stitching on the ribbon, I feel confident my gathers will stay in place!



I might have taken up a little too much length with the ruffle, as the center front seam below the ruffle was poking out.  I took in about half an inch along that seam at the hem, but it still doesn't sit great.





When contemplating the dress, I feared it would be a wardrobe piece of little utility because it would be too vavavoom for work.  As it emerged from under the needle, though, I changed my opinion.  It is definitely flattering and a little bit flirty, but I don't think it is outright sexy, especially with the long sleeves (I wouldn't wear those shoes to work--or anywhere I have to walk more than 3 steps).

The pattern is designed for a non-stretch woven, and I did not make any changes to fit to account for my double knit.  Therefore, the final result has a fair amount of ease.  I kept it that way because I did not want it too fitted for work, but I might go back and take it in a tad more at the side and center back seams, as it is almost droopy in places. 

I am also half-tempted to rip out the sleeves and shorten those way way WAY too long shoulders.  I am working on developing a TNT tee, and the shoulder seams on the tee are seriously about 2 1/2 inches long.   I have very narrow shoulders.

I finished the dress in time for Valentine's Day and it was properly appreciated.  I totally love it--it is a great style for me.  I'm even thinking of making a sleeveless version for summer.  Maybe in a cute print?  Though it's hard to find a print that looks good on both sides of the fabric.

All photos are here and the pattern review (my 250th!!!!!) is here.

Burda 11-2009-120, Square Pocket A Line Skirt

Since biking became so much easier with the introduction of Capital Bikeshare (one way trips! no locking up!) my clothing needs have changed rather drastically. Where I had been adopting a pencil skirt silhouette and have long eschewed the A line skirt as unflattering to my pear shape, I am now having to make the switch to skirts with volume so I can safely put my foot down for balance while stopped at red lights (one can manage getting onto a bike in a fitted skirt, it's the stopping without falling over that's impossible).

I had seen Burda 11-2009-120 a couple times--both Amanda and Elizabeth have made it--and I thought it might be a good biking skirt.

The fabric is from The Carol Collection.  I cut into it for the under-collar and facing of my Vogue 8307 Armani-style coat. 




The pockets are lined and then topstitched onto the skirt, leaving the upper edge loose to create the belt loop.  Luckily, the forest green color of the Vera Wang silk/rayon satin Fabric.com was selling in January 2010 was a great match for the fabric.

To make sure the lining wouldn't show, I trimmed a scant 1/8 inch off the edges of the lining other than the very top edge that lines up with the waistband.  You can see on the pocket that hasn't been pressed how this causes the pocket to balloon because the two pieces are not the same size--the lining is slightly smaller. (More photos illustrating this in the album.)

I always like to press from the wrong side for things like this, so that I can roll the seam and see a tiny edge of the fashion fabric peeking out from down below.  Then press.  You can see that despite the size difference it presses flat.





The instructions for the lining have you cut the front piece minus the pleats. I felt that would defeat the purpose of the skirt--without the pleats the A is not very wide and might not be enough room for biking. I cut the lining the same size as the front skirt, and just did one large inverted pleat rather than two. The lining--also from the Carol Collection--is quite thin and doesn't add bulk to the project.







The waist is faced with the same Vera Wang satin as I used for the pocket.

To insure that the fit remained consistent (as the wool is a rather loose weave) I stabilized waistband with ribbon as I did here.  I also interfaced both the outer waistband and the facing, the wool with a heavier interfacing and the facing with a lighter.









The details on this stood out better with topstitching, so the pockets, tabs, and waistband are all topstitched.  I just love the shape of this pocket!  It's such a clever little detail with the built in belt loop.








To make sure the center front double inverted pleats sits properly and to emphasize the feature, I topstitched the edges of the pleat.  At the hem, I marked and pressed and then topstitched with the hem turned up in place.  It keeps the pleats nice and crisp.




I took a risk with the length of the skirt, as it is hemmed below the knee.  This is a challenging length for me, as I am short.  It can really only be worn with boots, which is somewhat limiting, but it is not a skirt that will look right in Spring or Summer anyway.

I think it came out well and I really like the details and the topstitching. 

It is a good complement to my vintage fabric Burda 09-2007-120 tie neck blouse.  I feel so very 70s, though I am no rival for the queen of 70s, Sewspicious Minds!

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.

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.

Stashoholism Confessional: A Long Time Coming

One of the things I looked forward to over the holidays (in addition to seeing family, of course) was going back to Golden D'Or in Dallas, where I had scored so handily last year.

I have not been crazy about Burda lately (so much with the shapeless!), but I was definitely interested in the Burda 11-2011-114 drapey faux-wrap top. I didn't have anything in stash really suitable for it, and when I found the drapey pink sweaterish knit at Golden D'Or it seemed perfect.



I have already sewn up the copper sweaterknit.  My dear friend and neighbor (we bought condos next door to one another) loooooves copper, and I immediately thought of her when I saw the fabric.  Metallic copper sweaterknit for clothes is a little whackadoodle, even for me, but it is great trim for accessories.  I made her a fleece hat with sweaterknit brim and a fleece-lined scarf.  I bought a pair of gloves and hand-stitched a copper cuff to the inside lining, for a full set.  My photo is terrible but the gift had already been handed over before I realized it, but you get the gist.



You may recognize this silk jersey as the same print in a different colorway as the perfect knit wrap dress I just sewed.  I believe the silk jerseys were originally $24/yd.  I got the turquoise print for the wrap dress on sale for $12.  And then I saw this on sale for $6.  When you see silk jersey for $6/yd, you just buy it.  Unfortunately, I hesitated for a day and only got two yards of this, which is all he had left.  It is extremely narrow.  I would like to make another McCall 6069 cowl dress (with a non-cowl back bodice), but haven't investigated whether I have enough fabric for it. 

Source: flickr.com via Trena on Pinterest

Ever since I first saw this Robert Rodriguez dress, I have been wanting some copper silk. Not to try to copy the dress (way above my skill level), but just because it is so rich and gorgeous! When I found it on the $7.97/yd table, with 25% off sale plus a coupon, I had to have it.  I am thinking maybe Burda 7519, or at least the sleeves from it.  I dig the carapace sleeves.  In pre-washing, I realized the copper silk is a stretch, so I may have to do something to take advantage of that property.




I have this giant fleece robe I wear when it's cold.  It is red with plasticky dragons on it.  I got the fabric on clearance from Joann and it's fairly hideous.  Also, the robe is about 9 years old at this point and pilled (on the plus side, the plasticky dragons in the seam allowances that used to poke me have finally worn off).  So, it's time for a new robe.  This leopard print amused me.



This was my first purchase of 2012, and already I made a mistake!  In the store, the mushroom-colored knit on the left looked gray, but then I got it into sunlight and saw that it is brown.  Argh!!!  I don't wear brown.  I guess I will use it for knit muslin.

I am almost always allowed to buy knit prints when I find them and I like the colors in this border print.  Orange!  There is never enough orange.

The Schiarparelli pink silk charmeuse caught my eye on the $7.97/yd silk table.  It will make a fabulous lining for something.

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I have bought more fabric since these items--including on the Baltimore Fabric Crawl--but I am so slow in posting this that I won't wait until I have photos done.

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I am terrible at answering questions.  I apologize for that.  Here are two recent ones:

MySummerTouch asks:
I wonder what do you do with your traced Burda patterns? Save them or throw them away?

I generally save them.  There are probably a few I've thrown away because the pattern was terrible on me.  I fold the pattern pieces together into a rectangle bundle (making sure the pattern number is facing out) and put it into a plastic page protector sleeve.  I have giant three ring binders with the patterns arranged chronologically in them.  With three ring binders, it's easy to open up the rings and put the latest pattern in the proper order. 





However, it is getting to the point where I have a LOT of traced patterns.  I need more binders, but the giant ones are expensive!  I get lazy about actually filing the patterns, too.  I should probably do a cull of patterns I will not realistically sew again, but the tracing is so much work that it's hard to just toss it!



Has anybody developed a brilliant system for saving these tracings?



Thank you all for your supportive and helpful comments on my pants post.  I have looked through the resources you recommended and may eventually be ready to tackle them again.  I actually sewed up a muslin of a Palmer/Pletsch pattern that fit better out of the envelope than the Burda did after 4 muslins!  However, I made the stupid mistake of assuming that a P/P pattern would not have the ridiculous ease of a normal Big 3 and sewed according to what size I "should" be.  The good crotch fit may only be because the overall muslin is way too big.

JENL observed:
I think a lot of the problem was the weight of the fabric-it looked too light and shimmery? Perhaps a little bit of a pressing issue-though I know you were just making a sample.

I actually like using "worst case scenario" fabric for a muslin.  Not to mention I bought like 10 yards of that stuff at Jomar, only to get it home and realize it was too loud to be used as lining!  The shiny, unforgiving fabric reveals every fitting issue in stark clarity, so there will be no surprises in real fabric. 

Vogue 7693, Mock Wrap Dress

I've been wanting to make Vogue 7693 for a while.  So long, in fact, that the pattern has gone out of print.  Which is to your benefit, because I'm going to tell you up front that I do not recommend this pattern.  It is poorly drafted, the directions are bizarre, there is no way to complete the project without a lot of hand sewing (I don't even mind hand-sewing, but this is just because it was drafted without a way to finish it by machine, not for a high-end couture look), and the end result--while nice--is not special enough to warrant all this woe.

This is one of the fabrics I bought from the Grand Bazaar in Turkey in 2010.  Crazily enough, the Selfish Seamstress ended up getting the same fabric (with the same line about it being cotton) on her visit last year.   When I proudly told the boyfriend I had sewn up one of the fabrics I bought on our trip to Turkey, he was like, "What?  You're only now getting to it?"  Oh dear, you have *no* idea.  I reminded him that he has seen my sewing room and that it is stuffed with fabric waiting to get sewn.  He conceded the point.



I did my usual broad back and swayback adjustments on the back.

On the front, I did my usual SBA for a wrap style of shortening the diagonal neckline edge.  Because I find that the Big 4 need huge amounts of length taken out to avoid gaping, I did it in two folds rather than one.  Make sure to do it to both pieces!  I also narrowed the dart in the left front.  The right front has no dart and I made no additional adjustments.  Luckily, the end fit is very good with a secure, non-gaping wrap.  


The instructions for this dress are awful.  They show the most convoluted, time-consuming, tedious method possible to finish everything.  I ignored them.  The instructions talk about something crazy with hand-sewing the shoulders of the lining after everything is done, I don't even know.  I stitched the shoulder seams in both fashion fabric and lining and stitched together at the neck, as per usual, and the sky did not fall. 



One of the many drafting errors on this pattern is on the skirt.  The left front (underlayer of front) does not extend all the way to the side seam, so the waist edge of the skirt must be finished separately beyond that point.  The marking on the skirt from which you are supposed to finish is about 5/8 inch from the side seam.  However, the actual difference in length is closer to 3 inches.  I walked the pattern pieces to make sure it was not my error.  It was not. (This is in addition to the length problem with the right front bodice identified by Mickey Fan.)

For an opening that large, I felt the skirt needed more stabilization than just being turned under and stitched (as per the instructions).  The A line skirt is meant to be cut on the bias (I did not have enough fabric to do so, and this rayon has enough drape that it didn't need it), which makes stabilization even more important.

I clipped into the seam allowance from the actual joining point--not the marked joining point, and stitched a piece of ribbon on the right side with the edge just above the seamline and then flipped to the inside and topstitched.  I extended the ribbon a little bit into the joining point of the left front and skirt for full stabilization.

After the dress was completed, I had to tack the tie for the underlap to this finished edge of the skirt, because it was distorting the hang of the dress when it extended from the side front rather than the side seam.







Because the lower edge of the right front (the layer that wraps over in front)  extends below the waist seam, that inner side seam on the lining must be closed by hand (leaving a gap to pass the underside tie to go through).

As drafted, the skirt is not lined, and I followed the pattern instructions on that (in retrospect, I really should have lined the skirt--rayon is quite flimsy).  So I also had to hand-stitch the lower edge of the lining to the seam allowance at the waist.  For that you, can stitch in the ditch but I am not a skilled ditch stitcher (and somehow my lining ended up short).







Once the side seams of both layers were sewn, I treated the fashion fabric and lining as one at the armscye.  The sleeve on this is quite narrow, which I didn't notice in cutting.  I stitched it with a tiny seam allowance but still have some restricted movement.

Custom Piece from Etsy

Source: etsy.com via Trena on Pinterest

The best part about the pattern is the little back collar and the shaping in the front.  I will probably re-use that detail at some point.  I like this custom lace outfit from Etsy.  I can see doing something like the lace top without the full collar using the neckline from V7693.


















In the end, the dress is pretty and flattering, but the drafting is just so terrible!  This look is generally drafted as a full front with a front overlay, as in Simplicity 2369.  S2369 is for knits, but you get the general idea.  I think that is the better way to achieve this style and there are better patterns for this look.

All photos are here and the pattern review is here.