Burda #122 09/14 Godet dress with cap sleeves

I hadn't sewn a BurdaStyle pattern for a while. Although the photos on magazine have always appealed to me, I am often discouraged from starting a new project, due to all the hassles like tracing patterns from the eye-confusing pattern sheet and the unclear instructions. It's not that easy to sew compared to other commercial patterns.

On this occasion however, I couldn't resist this unusual Godet Dress. It has multiple curved seams from the shoulder all over the bust towards the centre. The ripple-like seams tailor the upper body accurately and the skirt lightly flares from the waist, with a single godet inserted in the lower front that drapes evenly.

Sizing and fabric
I was further inspired by the member project on BurdaStyle. Liliv1 had problem with the sizing, so I paid extra attention with the fitting. I bought some dark brown flannel, at least that's what I thought (no label was on the bolt). However, as I sewed up the pieces, I found the fabric was not right, it's actually poly fleece and it also made me skin itchy when I put it on. I thought "OK, it can serve as a testing muslin".

I cut size 36 and graded to 38 from the waist. I found the bodice is a little bit tight, but the skirt around the lower abdomen was a bit loose. It required minimal adjustment thanks to my pre-cutting measurement on the pattern pieces.

I found some lightweight wool flannel in my stash. I worried it may be too light and soft, so I used a crispier lining fabric. I also shortened the back skirt by a couple of centimetres.

Construction tips and pointers
There is lots of curved stitching in this dress. Luckily I have gone through curves in my last Scalloped Dress so this dress was nothing to me. The BurdaStyle patterns often do not have notches. I matched a lot of notches on the curved lines of the pattern myself in order to get neat and smooth curved seams. My effort paid off! The seams are accurate and symmetrical on both sides and it looks fabulous.

Adding lots of notches

I topstitched those curved seams using a double needle with matching threads.

Lots of curved stitching again... I used lots of pins.

Overall, this is a unique design that stands out from the rest of the Burda patterns and it is very flattering to my body shape. You can also be creative with the curved seams with different decorative stitches, threads and colours. I will definitely make it again.

Material list
Wool flannel 150cm wide: 1.40m x $10 = $15
Poly lining 122cm wide: 1.00m x $2 = $2
Invisible zip 22 inch

Misc
Spring/Summer is here in Melbourne. I caught up with my friend on a lovely Saturday Morning and enjoyed the yummy Ramen and free entertainment in the city.

I am a big fan of Yorkshire Tea

My version of BurdaStyle Peplum Top 08/2012 #113

First top I made!! I found this pattern a while ago and it seems to be one of the most popular patterns on BurdaStyle website. And my wardrobe was missing a Peplum top. So I decided to give a try.

I am just a beginner. So I immediately disregard the cap sleeves. 

To my surprise, the original version, which was 100% according to the pattern, fitted terrible. Below photos show I was trying to pin and fit it. 

The back view was worse. The peplum was too long. The neck line was too high. And I needed a small bust adjustment. I made a lot of adjustments:

• I shortened the peplum and the bodice, because I intend to wear it under a jacket. 
• I moved the seam of the back bodice and the peplum higher so that it got closer to my waist line.
• I have sloped and small shoulders. So I corrected the shoulder seams and the armholes. 
• I made a wider neckline.

Here is a much better version.

Do you notice anything wrong from the muslin? -- The hem line doesn't look natural! I put a jacket over and drew the hemline on the muslin just under the jacket to find the correct hemline

The fabric was lightweight stretchy cotton. When installing the zipper and sewing the side seam, it’s very important to make sure the horizontal seams need to be matched, shown at the three spots I circled in the below photo.

For the neckline, the pattern has neckline facing. Because my fabric is so sheer that you will see through the facing inside, I decided to use bias binding. I learnt this tip from Moonbeam’sblog.

After all the modification, there is the final product:

Oh. By the way, I also made the skirt from McCall 3830 with my sewing teacher.

Not Bad for a beginner huh? :)