Burda 6969 - Summer Dress

In honor of throw-back Thursday, a blog post dedicated to my stellar skillz in procrastination!

But actually.  If there was a procrastination olympics I'd be a gold medalist.  But that can wait until later.

Anyways, a while back I started AND finished Burda 6969.  I apologize, the link doesn't go to the Simplicity site where I originally found it, it goes to PatternReview.com (but it can also be purchased there, if you so choose).  As a side note, I've been having some problems accessing Simplicity Pattern's new website.  I can't seem to open in it google chrome on either my computer or phone.  It seems weird, but maybe my electronics are finally revolting against me and this is their first step towards taking over the world.  Who knows.

But I digress.  Here is a picture of the pattern:



And here is my version!

I am SO proud of how I got the black dots centered!!

I will say that I am not entirely pleased with how it turned out from the side.  I felt that maybe it was a bit too wide in the waist.  It floats away from my midsection, making me look a tad bit like a cocoon.  The times I have worn this dress, I added a black belt to give it more shape.

The back.  Also very proud of centering the dots here!

LOOK AT HOW MATCHED UP THEY ARE.  If pride is a sin, I apologize, but LORD look at that!

Detail of the front keyhole.

 I do find the keyhole very endearing, but I wish it wasn't quite as low on my bust.  Actually, the whole neckline sits very low.  I have to be very careful with how I lean forward in this dress!  I attempted to shorten the straps, but I also didn't want to unduly restrict my arm movement (gotta be free if If want to retain my status as an honorary pterodactyl).

A zoomed out shot of the front.  Just in case you forgot what it looks like.

Overall, this pattern was not very difficult.  I didn't bother making any adjustments or muslins because I knew it wouldn't be very fitted.  If I were to make it again, I think I would make a muslin to fix the low cut nature and the bubbly-ness of the waist.  But it's great if you want a quick project and are cool with belting it!

The fabric I used is a silk from Hancock Fabrics.  It was not quite opaque enough to retain my modesty and the eyelets were little peep-holes, so I ended up lining the whole dress.  The pattern doesn't call for it, but it was easy to add (just to the front and the back, no need to do the straps).

Until next time!

The Gretchen

Burda 7056 - Lilly Pulitzer Inspired

Ever heard of Lilly Pulitzer?  Haha, well, I'm sure it has run across many people's radar, especially when Target started carrying its limited edition Lilly Pulitzer line that sold out within hours.  Needless to say, the brand's bright and cheery aesthetic are quite popular!

I don't know if I could pull of such a sun-shiney look everyday, but I was inspired by the summery feel it embodies.  So, instead of pinching my pennies to save up for one of the iconic frocks, I decided to make my own!  

I was inspired specifically by vintage Lilly Pulitzer:

From Pink Clouds blog

Modern Lilly Pulitzer maxi dresses:

From Neiman Marcus

From the Lilly Pulitzer website

And exposed zippers!

I love the subtle hint of gold!  This is the Lilly Pulitzer Penelope Shift Dress (no longer available online).

I already owned Burda 7056, and I loved thought the maxi dress in view C would work perfectly:

I actually love all the views in this pattern, it was hard to just pick one!

So I got to work, and this is what I came up with:

The front

The dress turned out less form-fitting than I thought it would be, giving a very column-like shape.  But I have to say, the simplicity of it grew on me!  I appreciate how the simple design balances out the colorful, busy pattern of the fabric.

The back zipper

There are a couple ways to put in an exposed zipper, but I chose Keightly Studio's tutorial.  Their version exposes only a bit of the sides (rather than laying the zipper completely on the outside) and includes top-stitching.

I truly wish I could put an exposed zipper on everything I make, but they can be quite pricey!  I bought this zipper from Hancock Fabrics and it is normally sold for $20, although I purchase it with a coupon :-P

And for funsies, more of my zipper (I'm so in love with it!):

Close up of the top of the zipper.

Close up of the bottom of the zipper

 This pattern was extraordinarily easy to sew and I would highly recommend it to any sewist, beginning or otherwise.  Truly, the hardest part was installing the exposed zipper and I elected to do that myself!

I chose to do the dress in a lovely cotton by Tina Givens (unfortunately not sold online! But you can occassionally find her fabric listed on Fabric.com and Etsy).  The cotton was easy to work with but has ended up driving me a little crazy with wrinkling (especially after sitting in the dress)!  If I made it again, I would use a more wrinkle-resistant material and with perhaps a little less structure.

As a fitting note, I ended up taking in the sides near my hips, making that area 1 to 2 sizes smaller than was originally cut out.  The dress was a bit too tent-like for my taste at first, but I believe part of that was how it was designed.  Either way, altering it is easy as the seams are quite simple!

Well, that's all I have!  If you have any questions, input, or comments, let me know!

Until next time,

-The Gretchen