Burda Style 07-2011-131

This dress has actually been finished for a few days, but it wasn't until today that I had an available photographer and enough daylight to take photos.
This is dress #131 from the July 2011 issue of Burda Style:

Here is the line drawing:

The dress shown in the magazine is made of crepe satin. I wanted my dress to be easy and comfortable and I didn't want to struggle too much with fitting, so I used ponte knit from Hancock Fabrics for my version.

I love the print- dusty red, pink, and grey flowers on a white background. It reminds me of a pen and ink drawing with a watercolor wash.

I cut a size 42 from shoulder to hip and a 44 from the hip down.

I did have some fitting issues, most notably the neckline, which was way too low. You can read about the muslin here. For this final version, I ended up making the following adjustments:

1. 1/4" petite adjustment above the bust

2. 1/2" princess seam FBA

3. 1" of length added at the waist

4. Raised neckline 1.5"!

5. Added approximately 1/4" to front armhole.

Since I used a knit, I left the zipper out completely.

I originally planned to use the facing pieces provided to finish the neck and armholes, but after all the adjustments I made to the bodice and neck, I was afraid they wouldn't fit correctly, and let's face it- I can be lazy sometimes. Also, I made a similar dress out of ponte knit a few months ago and I wasn't entirely pleased with the bulk of the facings and I wasn't able to get a good, crisp pressed edge.

So instead of using the facings, I just serged the raw edges, pressed the neckline seam allowances to the inside and topstitched them down

I used bias strips cut from white broadcloth to finish the armholes:

I topstitched the bias strips in place, connecting the stitching to the hem on the cap sleeves:

In the photo below you can see the extra 1/4" I added to the front armhole to help hide my armpit flab. I adjusted the side back piece as well so that the side seams would remain the same length and everything would fit together. (You can see part of my princess FBA, too.)

I am quite pleased with this dress. It looks nice, it's comfortable, and it was very easy to sew. Once I made all of the needed adjustments it was actually a very quick project. I might even make it again sometime. It would look nice in a solid...

If you like the look of a princess sheath, I highly recommend this pattern. Just make a muslin and check that neckline!

My regular photographer was busy with other things today, so I used my stand-in photographer, my 12 year old son, Bryan:

He did a really good job! It sure helps to have two photographers on call.

Stay tuned for more Burda sewing! It's a three day weekend, so I hope to get something accomplished. How about you? Any sewing plans for the long weekend?