Monday, January 16, 2012

Burda Cover Dress Reveal!

I am totally diggin' this dress. And not just because it's orange.


First off, it was remarkably easy to sew and fit for a dress with so many seams but not any side seams. So, kudos to Burda for a complicated-looking dress that came together more easily than expected. Also, the style and fit of this dress are pretty great, IMHO. The strong shoulders help balance my figure out and all the seaming really flatters curves. Also, as a few other sewistas have noticed, this dress has mystical bum-flattering properties. At least Phin seemed to agree. LOL


I did make a few alterations to this dress. It originally was a petite pattern, so I had to lengthen it. In addition, I altered the back shoulder piece. The area between my shoulder blades must be narrower than normal.  I don't usually need to adjust the arm/shoulder joint area, but am often left with extra fabric gaping at the nape and upper back. If there is a center back seam, I can adjust there, but when there isn't, I've found that the method that I used with my seersucker dress - namely make a dart, press it well and then use the darted piece as a pattern to recut the piece in question - works shockingly well. That's what I did in this case.

There are one or two things that I'd do a little differently if I was to make a second version, but they are picky things at best. First, the collar does not seem to want to lie perfectly flat and it is slightly larger than I would like. So, I'd tinker there a bit. Next, the directions for the sleeve/arm band were not at all clear to me. So, I kinda winged it and I'm sure I got it wrong. It looks fine from the outside, but I will not be showing the messy inside to anyone else who sews. Ever.

 

And lastly, I'm rather displeased at how visible the hem is. I was very careful ironing just the edge to avoid any kind of crease or show-thru, and then I hand sewed it with a catchstitch. But it didn't come out invisible! So, I'm wondering if I should just go back and use my double needle to make it look deliberately more visible. It is a knit after all. (Any suggestions are welcome.)


When I wrote my review over at PatternReview, I commented that there really is only room for one of these dresses in a wardrobe. But I'm actually feeling very tempted to make another. I'm kind of kicking myself now that I didn't think to use some color blocking for this dress. Wouldn't it be fantastic done up in a few bold colors? I feel like this dress definitely would outshine any of Burda's current offerings of color block-appropriate patterns. What do you think?

 

24 comments:

Faye Lewis said...

You did a wonderful job Clio! It's beautiful.

Make Me Over said...

I love this pattern in the mag also - and have been planning on making it for a while - it looks terrific on you!

Karin said...

You look amazing in this dress! A perfect hour glass with a tiny waist. The colour is flattering too. This dress is a real winner!

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

It's a beautiful dress! And you definitely need a color blocked version!

Anonymous said...

Stunning dress. Great colour. And you look fantastic in it. And yes...you do need a colour blocked version.

Candice said...

BRAVO!!! You look amazing, seriously..I just love this dress on you!

Dibs said...

It is really beautiful, and I love your colour choice

T. Sedai said...

Love this dress, very striking! Pretty color too.

Gordita said...

Gorgeous! I love it.

sewistafashionista said...

You look terrific! The necklace really highlights the dress.

K.Line said...

Oooh, very Seven of Nine! Does good things for your derriere :-)

MySummerTouch said...

You look great in this dress! And yes, color-blocked dress will be good too! I actually started to make color-blocked dress, all dresses like that look great!

Ann Brodsky said...

Stunning dress, stunning necklace! And you are all set with the 2012 Color of the Year too! I'm tempted to try this one.

Shannon said...

Such a sexy and sophisticated dress!

gwensews said...

That's a very chic dress and looks fabulous on you. You should, indeed, continue to wear orange, whether or not it is THE color at the time. Wear what you love.

prttynpnk said...

Gorgeous! Total envy radiating toward you....

AllisonC said...

Fabulous dress and yes I think there can definitely be room for a second colourblocked version in your wardrobe.

Reethi said...

I love this dress! And I fully believe there's room for a second version - I keep meaning to make myself another one...

Sheryll said...

Awesome, awesome, awesome! Are you sure that you weren't the fit model for this pattern?!

Clio said...

Thank you! Thank you! Those of you who have voted for a color block version will be happy to know I ordered some double knit for it last night!

Sheila said...

Gorgeous and the color looks great on you.

katherine h said...

Fabulous dress! I bought a red fabric to make up this pattern and then lost nerve, thinking it may be all too red. Now seeing your version will kickstart this project again.

Groovy necklace!

The Slapdash Sewist said...

Fantastic! This is so utterly flattering on you (and so jealous of your flat stomach--I can never wear this pattern). The color is great, the workmanship is fabulous. Just a huge all-around win!

Audrey said...

This dress looks wonderful on you. Love the color too.