Thursday 15 November 2012

Burda Style 02-2011-101 Dress

I wanted to make this dress when the magazine first came out, but it had slipped off my radar until Tigergirl made it a few weeks ago while ago, and wrote a rather amusing post about its shortcomings. It looked perfect (with adaptations) for a quick dress for my younger daughter, who has been in social demand of late, and was feeling a lack in her wardrobe. She picked out this fabric at Spotlight (embroidered cotton-linen), and taking Tigergirl's pithy comments to heart, I made a slightly altered version of this pretty summer dress. (Lined with cotton batiste at the bodice only) SDC11094 Burda Style 02-2011-101 My daughter is under 160cm. I scaled down to a size 34,made a petite adjustment of about 7cm in the bodice, raised the neckline by about 2cm,and squared the shoulder slightly. The skirt is shortened to a length half way between her choice and mine. Neither of us is completely happy about this, which sounds like an excellent working arrangement for a 15 year old and her mother concerning skirt length. SDC11085 The skirt is pleated towards the centre, front and back, in an ad hoc manner involving picking up the centre of each embroidered stripe and pinning it next to the previous print. I did not press the pleats, wanting a soft appearance at the waistline. I used the full embroidered section of the fabric for each of the front and back of the skirt, giving me around 130cm in width for each section instead of the 90cm for size 36 that Burda used in their gathered version. The centre back bodice seam is shaped in an upright posture adjustment, taking in the centre neckline by approximately 3cm on each side, tapering to just below the shoulder blades. The side zipper is a hand picked standard dress zipper, instead of an invisible zipper. I made this dress on the day of my older daughter's graduation, which is the punishment of the sewing gods for complete smugness at having completely finished my older daughter's dress, and my own, a full 96 hours before the due date. This unfortunately created a window of opportunity for my younger daughter and I to review the garments she had available to wear to the informal part of the evening..... Next time I will try to be less organized ;) Maybe I just don't feel normal unless I am sewing to the last minute.

22 comments:

Marie said...

How dare you be so organised?

Seriously, you must be a super mum. I am happy to sew for the kids while they are young and easy to fit, but have mixed feeling about when they grow older. maybe because I was sewing for myself at a young age.

Love the dress - the fabric looks lovely. I might have to check out in person myself.

Lyndle said...

Very cute. Sounds like the skirt length must be just right. Yes, leaving 96 hours is just asking for trouble. What right have you to be so organised? Love the dress, love the post.

kbenco said...

My feelings are mixed too, I really love sewing for my girls, but I would like them to sew for themselves as well. Fortunately, they both have sewn their own garments, but they are both extremely busy in their senior years at school - and I am quicker at sewing! I did ask my daughter to prep the fabric and trace the pattern - but then she had to scale down to a 34, which was a bit outside her skill set. Also the alternative garment for this occaions was a dress she bought with a VERY short skirt...... I must be a controlling mother, but I think this one looks better ;)

Karin said...

She looks lovely! You have two beautiful daughters.

shams said...

So so so so cute. Both the dress and your daughter! Like Marie said, I stopped sewing for my kids by that age, mostly because they became so particular.

Summer Flies said...

Oh it looks lovely! I just went to Spotlight today and they have some really lovely (also read expensive) linens and printed linens.. I haven't seen linen in a shop for ever. Yes you have done well being so organised... you'll know for next time even if you are finished it's best to not say! Everything in the shops is so short for the young ones at the moment...

Steph A said...

It's beautiful! I remember that dress, it's one of those that really stood out for me.
And Oh my, I'm staggered by how much you've done, 3 dresses. You are amazingly organized!

The only things my boys are asking me to make for them are PJs, sweatpants/shorts and loose tops. Simple stuff!

Unknown said...

She looks gorgeous! The fabric is very beautiful for this pattern.

pdiddly said...

ditto to everything everyone else has said... very pretty dress and daughter. My 25 yr old daughter is so picky I gave up sewing for her so I think the next item I make for her is a bridesmaid dress for my wedding and she has the audacity to get pregnant (we are all very happy for her) and due 2 days after the wedding lol .....

velosews said...

She looks pretty and while you're both not happy with the length of the skirt, it looks great. I have noticed that my older niece and her friends where much shorter hems, like I did at their age - embarrassing. I don't sew for the oldest ones because there's so much RTW they can buy cheaply.

Now I sew for the littlest ones and their mums plus my mum. It's easier on me and thankfully while they love what I sew, they're low maintenance.

Hen said...

The length looks so perfect to me - I suspect that you set in a bit too "long" in the negotiation.

BeaJay said...

This is a gorgeous dress. Your daughter looks lovely.

Uta said...

That dress is very lovely and you have the prettiest daughters. I'd definitely keep those skirts to the knees, too, someone might go blínd otherwise. I have this thing with sewing, crafting, baking (or anything really): if I've been doing it really intensely for quite some time I don't know how to stop, I have to keep going until I drop of hunger or whatever or someone drags me away. Taking on only small projects helps but where's the fun in that?!

Sharon said...

Very pretty dress and that is about the length my mum would let me get away with.

Carolyn said...

Wow, you have been so productive! She looks so pretty, I like that it is black, but the white print and the retro silhouette makes it very feminine. Beautiful!

Mary Nanna said...

She looks great in that dress and the final length is just perfect! I think Mum and daughter have made a great design combo....

I clicked through that link only to find the post no longer there - disappointing, since I am drawn to hearing sewists moan about Burda like a moth to the flame.

Gail said...

Lovely dress and I love the fabric. Count yourself lucky to live in the country. Sydney skirt lengths are considerably shorter.

Malady said...

Can't wait to see the other two dresses - this one is just gorgeous (and length appropriate!!)

Janine said...

Your daughter looks so adorable in the new dress. I agree with you about the length because I think this style of dress looks more balanced being longer .Anyway you have sewn another beautiful dress and am looking forward to seeing your other masterpiece as well .

fabric epiphanies said...

The dress is lovely. I can understand the length issue. My daughter has grown so much that it necessitates cycle shorts underneath for modesty. These lovely dresses that are fashionable for teenagers almost make me want to be a teenager again.

The Slapdash Sewist said...

So adorable! I really love that classic look.

Sue said...

The length looks perfect for the style & your daughter carries it off beautifully.