Apr 2, 2012

Third Time's the Charm for BurdaStyle's Cap Sleeve Dress


I didn't participate in Tilly's One Week One Pattern challenge, though at the rate I've sewn Burdastyle's Dress With Gathered Skirt and Cap Sleeves, it would have been possible.  I didn't get in on the fun because I didn't know about it until quite late, and I don't have enough items sewn from a single pattern to make wearing it for a whole week possible. (And though I now have three of these dresses, the weather has not been co-operating lately for such summery clothing.)

Anyway, I was still not quite satisfied with the fit of this dress even after a bust dart rotation took out a bunch of ease at the neckline. The back was still big for me (I'm short through the waist) , so I  found a way to remove the excess. I slashed a straight line from the neckline through the armhole, overlapped the two pieces by 7/8 of an inch, then taped it together, and reshaped the neck and armhole using my French curve. It looked like this: 


The fit is pretty darn spot-on now:


I had this lightweight cotton leftover from a peplum blouse I made for Patternmaking class at FIT a couple years ago. I bought it at Mood, and I love it...it's sort of Starry Night-inspired, but Spring-y:



This time around, I went with the simple gathered rectangle skirt, even though i think dirndls generally look straight out of the Von Trapp Family Spring Collection:


So am I satisfied with this pattern now? The bust is a little pointy due to the size of the dart, which makes me just want to create a princess seam for a better fit. But then, you know, it's basically a whole new pattern at that point. I think it's time to move on. So long. Farewell. Auf wiedersehen, goodbye Burdastyle Dress With Gathered Skirt and Cap Sleeves!

12 comments:

  1. This looks great! The fit is perfect, and the print is super cool!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've heard (well, read...) so many people complain about the bodice fit on this pattern that I steered clear of it. Yours looks like it's been beaten into submission and has finally agreed to fit well!

    (I think Starry Spring Night would be a great name for this print too. It looks like one of those magical fabrics with so many complementary colours that could match anything.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like I haven't been doing my research! (Then again, I'm a writer, not a scientist)

      Delete
    2. Nah, I think writers have to do more research than scientists; we just throw shit together and report on the results. My man is a prof / writer, and he spends all his time trying to find out whether someone else has already thought and published what he's thinking ;)

      The Sew Weekly members all used that Burda pattern one week last year, and they all complained about the fit (neckline too low, too gaping), so I didn't buy it at the time. but now I'm tempted and maybe with some similar modifications it would work for me.

      Delete
  3. So cute! I absolutely love the fabric. The fit is perfect!

    I really need to trace off that pattern...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Looking fab, as usual. This is the perfect spring dress

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well, your hard work paid off, b/c this is a great dress! What a problematic bodice though. Don't you hate it, something that looks so simple turns out to be a pain?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the tutorial on the cap sleeves. I actually just bought that pattern. I think you saved me a lot of tears!

    Nothy

    www.aftagley.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hahaha, I LOVE the dress and I've always had a soft spot for the Von Trapps (though Mary Poppins was always my favorite). You mentioned a pattern making class. Was that something you did independently? I keep trying to find an adult pattern making class but I can't find anything here in SoCal.

    ReplyDelete
  8. very pretty, love the cap sleeves.

    Hannah.
    http://surfjewels.tumblr.com/

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...