Saturday, February 15, 2014

Burda Style 11-2013-109

My knit dress has been finished for over a week.  It's been way too cold and dreary here to take photos, however.  Today was the first decent weather day we've had in a while.  So even though I felt awful today- frizzy hair, puffy face, bloating, and just all around feeling blah, I seized the opportunity to get a couple of pictures.


This is dress #109 from the November 2013 issue of Burda Style.  It's a fabulous issue with several other dresses I'd like to make.  This dress caught my eye and I thought it would make a comfy, warm, work appropriate piece and would look great in ponte knit.


I used this gorgeous plum ponte from Fabric.com.  I love this color.  I wish I had bought more.  It's a great weight and it sewed up very nicely.  Ponte is one of my all-time-favorite fabrics.  Burda used a stretch wool twill to make this dress, so stretch wovens would be suitable also.


I cut a 42 at the shoulder, 44 at the bust and waist, and eased out to a 46 at the hip.  I had to grade up because the pattern only goes up to 44.  (It's offered in 36 to 44.)  I made my standard adjustments- 1.5" of extra length at the waist, and a 3/8 petite adjustment above the bust.  My muslin told me that I needed some additional adjustments and extra length.  You can read about all my pattern doctoring in the previous post.


I'm pretty pleased with the finished dress.  It turned out a little bit looser than I expected.  It's probably because I made my muslin out of cotton and then the finished dress in the ponte.  I had to take it in from hip to sleeve about about 1/4".  If I made it again I would just cut a 42 from shoulder to hip and then a 44 from hip to hem.

It's still a little loose, but it's very comfortable and I didn't want it to be too fitted.  I've already road tested it by wearing it to work and it was not only comfortable, but kept me warm in the office, and I got several compliments.


It's hard to see in the photos (and it was too windy and I felt too irritable to take close-ups) but I wore the dress with a gold choker and matching bracelet that belonged to my grandmother.  They are probably from the 80's and have a Dynasty vibe to them.  I thought they looked fabulous with the dark plum fabric.

I'm glad I made this dress.  I like that from far away or at a glance it looks rather plain, but once you really take a look, you see all the criss cross seaming.  It was challenging to get the waist seam in the right place, but in the end it turned out fine.  I recommend the pattern, but if you normally make length adjustments (lengthening or shortening the waist) I recommend a muslin to make sure the horizontal seams are in the right places.

And now I'm off to take another look at the February issue of Burda.  There are a couple of things in there calling my name.  Happy sewing!

11 comments:

Paola said...

Great pattern, great fit, lovely colour. Great dress!

Annette said...

The seaming is done well. I like the way the dress flatters your figure.

Anonymous said...

Lovely look. It's nice to see this pattern made up and it really fits you well.

Kathy {Kathy Sews} said...

This looks so nice!! I was so curious how this dress came together when I saw it in the magazine. The purple is so pretty, too. Ponte basically rule, I agree!!!!

Juliane said...

This color is wonderful on you, I agree, you should buy as much fabric as possible in this color. The dress is one of the most flattering styles I've seen in a while--it is fitted, yet so very feminine and elegant. The hem flounce is the perfect finish to a great dress. Congratulations!

Lucia said...

It came out great! The color is indeed gorgeous, and i love how it accentuates your waist. And good thatyou raised the neckline, where it falls on you now is very flattering and work-appropriate. Lovely addition to your closet.

Audrey said...

I really liked this pattern so I was avidly reading your posts about it. It turned out great and is wonderfully flattering on you.

Ruth said...

So nice! The dress looks great.

bibi said...

Love the fit and the style is perfect for you. I find it difficult to fit when sewing for myself...suggestions?

Angela said...

Your dress is very pretty. I love the plum color. I'm admiring your fit, especially from the back. I can never get my back to look that good.

Jeannie Watt said...

This dress is gorgeous! So flattering.