Pattern: BWOF 07-2009-118 Dress
Pattern Description:A shirred bust section, a wide hem flounce, a halter-neck strap plaited from cotton tape – this dress of lovely printed batiste is irresistable and you will be too when you wear it!
Pattern Sizing: Burda sizes 34-42. Increased to a 46 and again in hips to a 50.
Fabric Used: Lightweight cotton and silk from Downtown LA
Notions Used: 1/2″ Bias Tape
Pattern Alterations: Increased to a 46 and again in hips to a 50. Eliminated the bottom hem flounce. Added 7 more rows of shirring from 9 to 16. Used elastic thread instead of zigzagging over elastic.
The Good:
- Loved the Fabric. I found this fabric in Downtown LA at one of the shops I frequent (name escapes me). I had seen this fabric last season and wanted it then, but resisted. When I went earlier this season I had seen a woman buying it and decided that I had waiting long enough. Luckily for me he have a little over 2.5 yards left. PHEW!! This is definitely one of those fabrics I would have regretted NOT buying. It is lightweight and so soft…I wish we had feel-o-vision as I would love for all of you to touch it. It also have a lovely sheen that makes all the vibrant colors pop just that much more.
- Easy to make. I had never done shirring before with elastic in the bobbin but it was quite easy. I even wound my bobbin using the machine…shhhh don’t tell. Actually the key was to skip the tensioning disc and instead go from the spool, through the first step as if to thread the machine and then to the bobbin. This will give just the slightest tension and the machine will do the rest. This is hard to explain but I will show a picture if anyone needs it. The hardest part was braiding the straps, which was not that hard, but did make my OCD flare up. I have not braided in years, even then I only braided hair, and now we know just one more reason why I wear my hair o’ natural…LOL!
- Strapless bra again. I mentioned with my last dress the strapless bra phenomenon at Chez Chic. This dress was actually my first foray outside sans bra straps. It was totally fine but I would have never worn this style without the backup safety plan of the halter straps. The shirring was tight enough, but not for my liking. Given my liking would have probably produce suffocation so halter straps prevented such a fashion faux pas 🙂
- Shirring. Once again, easy and quick with great results. I have some other garments in mind in with shirring involved. Especially because I bought two spools of elastic and barely scratched the surface on the first spool.
- Straps. Despite the fact that this drove me a little batty and finally required me to have a “good enough” attitude, I love the straps. They are made out of folded 1/2″ single fold bias tape that you then make into 1/4″ by folding. At first I was kinda mad as I was thinking “why didn’t Burda just say buy 1/4″ double fold bias tape? But then I thought about the uneven folding of the tape and recanted…a little. If you are not as OCD maybe trying the 1/4” double fold bias tape would not be so bad. After braiding I gave it a good steam to flatten them a little. They turned out very nice and sturdy
The Bad:
- Not having a size A bra cup required the addition of shirring lines. The pattern only called for 9 lines but that barely made it to the middle of my bust. In the end I ended up with 16 lines of shirring but could have probably gotten away with 12-14 lines. Either way, make sure to compare the front AND back lengths of the shirring to make sure it fits your bust. Mine was a little too long in the back with the shirring that is why I say 12-14 would have been optimal.
- One of the main reasons I liked this pattern was for the front panel detail. It is a little panel of the unshirred fabric with a piece of the braided strapping tacked down at the top and bottom. Afterwards I realized a few things… The inside of the flat panel edges are unfinished and the braid piece likes to shift. To solve this dilemma I tacked down the strap to the fabric panel and then did a loose slip stitch to tack the flat panel to the shirred bodice. I think Burda should have told you this, but then again they don’t tell you to finish your edges either so I guess they thought we would figure it out.
The Ugly:
- I had originally intended for this dress to be a maxi dress as well. However, while cutting I didn’t quite measure the length right. Given I made the pattern exactly the same length as the 116 without flounce but it would have been nice to have yet another maxi. I love this fabric so much that I saved the cut off portion and will be using it to line a little purse I plan to make. Waste not Want not.
Sorry for the mispellings, grammatical errors, or rushed thoughts as I am babysitting today. To anyone who knows me is looking incredulously at the screen right now and wondering if I have gone insane, however, I am still and auntie of 10 neices and nephews so I can babysit when in a pinch. However, my family knows they need to mark their calendars as this is a truly rare and special day…LOL 🙂