Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! for the wonderfully supportive comments on my girl's prom dress! It was quite an experience that was totally worth it when I zipped that zipper up and spun her around!
Though I've had longer absences from the blog than this, this one was brutal and I had to unplug from everything. Too much life happening but I am definitely in a better place now. Deep breath out...
Onward!
After completing the dress, my next project was supposed to be "quick". But you know me...Because I didn't get a chance to make the dress for the jazz concert, I moved right along to another item that caught my eye. This dress has fun seaming, is fitted, and looked pretty cool in a stripe.
After seeing it reviewed on PR, I knew I had to go for it!
FYI: To search for Burda on PR you want to enter the date as 04-2016 for example. If you want to look for a specific pattern, like this one, it would be 04-2016-119.
But the striped version!
So for this one, I used a striped ponte that has been in the stash for a couple of summers. Once I received it, I wasn't completely sold on the color. It is absolutely perfect for a casual summer version of this pattern! (stashing works)
Burda is awesome. Mostly because their drafting is usually precise and their sizing is uniform. And they draft for a C cup! I used size 40 at the neckline, shoulders and armhole, grading out to a 42 for the rest. I also did a 3/8" swayback adjustment -- I typically need less with Burda than Big4 -- I could have gone for 1/2".
I used my doubled tracing pencil with 3/8" seam allowances. After tracing the back skirt, I added an additional 3/8" using the pencil (e.g., traced the new cutting line, making it the seam line).
I should have used my 5/8" pencil! Hahaha! My bottom is a 44 in Burda and this IS a fitted skirt. Whew!
I was having a no-nonsense kind of day so excuse my "over it" expression
The pattern pieces fit together beautifully, cause, Burda.
I know the prevailing wisdom is that those of us of fuller-body shouldn't wear horizontal stripes (yawn), but I don't like vertical stripes most of the time. So I rotated some pattern pieces because, that's why I sew! Also, "ain't nobody got time" for zippers in casual knit dresses. So I made sure most pieces stayed on grain so the stretch would be used appropriately.
Did you see how closely I matched stripes at the waist seam? Didja? :)
Hey, I warned you it was a little "booty-tight" as we say in my house. I was so focused on matching the side seams of the skirt as best I could that the waist seam (front to back) does NOT match on either side. Oops.
I decided I was not going to stress myself out during cutting trying to match the darts after stitching AND the CB seam. So I kept it as even as possible so it's unmatched, deliberately.
The facing is all in one and is beautifully done! It gives a clean finish at neckline and armholes. I had no knit interfacing on hand so I didn't interface. It mostly stays in place just fine except for a small portion in front. And yes, it does bug me a little :/
LOVE:
The overall look/fit, the seamlines, the length, and THE BACK NECKLINE! Swoon. I really like it!
MEH:
I don't love the front neckline. I could have given myself a smidge more butt-room and would actually prefer this with a straight skirt instead of pegged. Pointed out because I was whining not long ago about lack of pegged pencil skirts on patterns.
Worn to the annual band banquet (DD didn't sport handmade this year)
Next up is Simplicity 8138 (to appear on the Fabric Mart blog later this month) and M7386 is cut out and ready to sew. I'm going to try to fit my May Burda in too.
We have a band concert tonight, senior award ceremony tomorrow, orchestra concert Thursday. Beyonce concert next Monday, my daughter is conducting her first concert on Tuesday and we have a scholarship recognition ceremony next Wednesday. Plus I need to get my house in some kind of order before people descend upon it the first week of June for the graduation. And someone should order a cake for the grad party. Bueller? Bueller?
Okay so perhaps my May Burda will appear in June...
