I made an early New Year rez to make some of the dress patterns which caught my eye once, only to languish in stash. I decided to work backwards from the most recently acquired, so enter December’s Burda, cover photo dress .
Undeterred by the odd triangle on top of the skirt in the layout and another odd triangle on the bodice it joins, forming a fold of cloth which starts of all the places where you would tend to avoid adding fabric, at the underarm point, I thought 112 looked pretty good in the magazine photo and decided to bash on with it full of hope. 5 to 6 on the bodice in the diagram is stitched to 5 to 6 of the skirt, then the 5s are folded back to the underarm and the side seam is sewn. There’s a lot going on at the underarm.
Its a featured pattern in December’s Burda. You get diagrams. All goes swimmingly until you get to this bit.
I’m guessing the artwork gal downed tools here, and flatly refused to even try to represent whatever you are supposed to be doing with the folded under raw edges of the tab, the bunched up fabric an inch from the gathered end of the tab you’re told to stitch to the ‘placement line’ with ‘a few invisible stitches’, or where the funny pointy bit which by now has the bunchy tab end stuffed in it is supposed to end up when its worn.
I don’t think I sewed this as Burda did for the model. I can’t figure out why the tab is secured with a few hand stitches on the outside and turns under as a gathered up scrunch into some dark recess of the dress’s folds. This has the vibes of a good fashion sketch which didn’t translate into a workable pattern, and got cobbled up for the photo shot. Is this unduly cynical?
When I tried it per instructions, it looked a mess and added bulk to the waistline. The tab didn’t hold the bodice drapes flat and didn’t really control the extra fabric of the skirt very well either. True, the raw edges pressed under didn’t spring out on the test run, but would they be so obliging in a full day’s wear?
I ripped that out and next stitched folds into the tab ends instead of gathering it, opened the seam the end is stuffed into a bit more so it would lie flatter, stitched the placement line bit by machine from underneath the fold and slip stitched the raw tab edges under. 
Then, to attempt to detract from the still quite chunky padded waistline, I lowered the neckline and drafted and piped a collar. Yes, thanks for asking, piping the collar was a PITA. I put a zip in the side instead of the back.
I think the dress is now ok in a Parent’s Evening, or cream tea with Auntie way. I may get to like it better. It doesn’t resemble the photo in the magazine.
What I’d do differently next time, is redraft it. The tab wrapped around vertical folds is a nice idea. I’d like to have a stab at getting a pattern for this which didn’t have folds of fabric from the underarm, and gave a tighter look to the bodice. But maybe on someone else this pattern will work just fine, perhaps in a different fabric. I’m hoping a fellow stitcher will try it, and show me where I went wrong.
I think those pieces would have killed me- I’m glad you are made of sterner stuff- you look amazing!
Just as I thought: sewing is rocket science!
But I love the result. The print is fantastic, the colours so vivid and the collar is a lovely addition.
Its growing on me, a little bit, maybe by summer ….
Despite your frustrations, I think it looks great. Tigerboy loved that dress on the cover when I got my mag and even wanted to take me fabric shopping to buy the exact fabric but I had reservations on how it would actually fit me and the ensuing fixes if they would even be possible.
Definitely do the trial run in old sheeting if you have a go at this Tigergirl. I’m working on a half scale pattern for something like it but easier at the moment, but maybe on someone else it would fly straight off the page, without changes.
“maybe on someone else it would fly straight off the page, without changes.”
I can guarantee you, that someone wouldn’t be me – I’ll just plug away at the zillion other patterns I have that haven’t been made until a few more people have worked out the bugs on this one for me (yep, I’m a complete coward).
Hah its a nice dress but you’re right it is a bit ‘Tea With Aunite’! That made me smile. BTW you’re not being cynical when discussing Burda construction and pattern drafting, from what I’ve read on the web at any rate.
I just saw your review on PR when I went to add mine. I just made this dress version, and it turned out like in the magazine. To try and explain – I pulled the gathered edge of the tab into the hole left in the skirt (if I remember correctly, it’s between marks 2 & 6). Stitch the tab to the seam allowances of that hole (closing it up with the tab inside) and now, in the inside of the dress, pull the closed hole portion back towards the CF and tack it to one of the pleats’ seam allowances. That brings the waist nicely in. The only thing left now is to hand-stitch some gathers onto the tab, as the gathering stitches are pretty far away and tucked underneath now… But handstitching these were the only fiddly part of the pattern – the rest came together pretty easily for me. I also made a muslin first, which helped with the construction and knowing which portions of the tab I needed to seam finish.
Have a look, my finished dress is here: http://www.fehrtrade.com/gallery/669/pale-pink-burda-december-cover-dress
Maybe it’s worth another go? I really like the dress you ended up with anyway, though!
Hi Melissa, thanks for dropping by. Yours does look like the original. I think your fabric is a bit more fluid than mine, but I notice you did something I didn’t do – pulling the closed hole part back and tacking it in to the seam allowance of a pleat. That’s given it more waist definition. I’m glad someone else has tried this pattern now.