Pattern Description:
Misses' cowl dress (and top) has shallow/narrow cowl, side gathering, and sleeves. I made mine sleeveless.
Pattern Sizing:
34-42. It was sooooo nice not to have to grade. I cut a 34 at the shoulders and bust, 36+ at the waist, and 38+ at the hips (the + is for just a little bit extra). I ended up having to take in the high hip by about 1/4" in each side (so 1/2" on each side, for a total of 1 inch), which is extremely rare for me in a Burda.
Fabric Used:
A stretch wool from the Fabric.com Vera Wang $1.99/yd blowout several years ago. I am so sad that I didn't buy 10 yards of this stuff, it's really high quality.
It's lined with a tricot from the G Street Fabrics $2.97/yd table.
Total cost, including magazine subscription amortization and notions: under $15.
Time to Make:
This went fairly smoothly, though it took some time to draft the lining. I worked on it in bits and pieces due to a hectic work travel schedule, but I think it took about 10 hours.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the side gathering--it is tummy-concealer disguised as a design feature.
I also love a cowl neck, though it took me a while to get to like this cowl. It's a shallow/narrow cowl and like the line drawing I can only get it to flop to one side, not to drape down the center as is standard for cowls. Once I accepted that, I see it more as neckline origami than as a cowl. However, it does limit necklace options.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, except that I made it sleeveless.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
It's Burda--I didn't even look at them.
Note that there is an error in the instructions: the pattern pieces are on sheet B, not sheet A. The corresponding black-lined piece numbers on A are a pair of pants, which really confused me.
Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
-Luckily, because so many people had tested it before me, I knew I could safely ignore the marked grain--which has the cowl on straight grain and the skirt on the bias--and place the skirt on straight grain. This gives the cowl a little more drape and the skirt a firmer hand. I really don't know why Burda designed it the other way. BWOF, you are still a mystery to me!
-The fitting adjustments I made were a swayback adjustment and a broad back. I also added a back neckline dart for my narrow neck. I did not change the bust fit--a cowl is a nice way to accommodate a variety of bust sizes. The broad back adjustment adds a bit of puffiness over the shoulder blades, and I probably could have lived without it in this sleeveless stretch garment, but eh. The sinking feeling of not being able to move my arms in a just-completed garment is much worse than some puffiness.
-The wool is slightly sheer--light shines through as though it's window glass--so I lined this. My first step in creating the lining was pleating out the gathered width of the side seam. I didn't want a bulky lining.
Next, as described in my review of Burda 7519, I folded over the front self-facing (very generous in this pattern, a really nice touch) and marked the bottom of it on the pattern. In this case, it was below the armscye. In cutting, I added seam allowance to the top of the front self-facing, and cut the front lining 1/4 inch above the marked line (for seam allowance).
-To ensure that the flesh-tone tricot would not show, I cut a back facing of the wool, fused with lightweight interfacing, and stitched it on top of the back lining. I should have been thinking about the width of the front self-facing so that the facing would look more seamless, but I like a generous facing and cut the back facing lower down the side seam than the front facing.
-I interfaced the armscye of the front-self facing so I would get nice sharp lines.
-Taking a nod from Carolyn, I sewed stretch lace on the bottom of my lining. Of course, I realized it would have been better to sew the black lace on the outside of the lining--the side the actually faces the public--rather than the side the faces me, just in case of show through. But I like the way it looks when it's facing me!
-I realized too late that the neckline was a touch too wide for my taste. I solved this by taking 1/4" seam allowances at the inner shoulder rather than 1/2", though this made sewing the front to the back tricky there.
-I used the same construction method as for Burda 7519, modified for the sleeveless style:
1. Finish back neckline and armscyes with the facing/lining
2. Sandwich back shoulder between front and front self-facing, stitch shoulder.
3. For a sleeveless cowl, pivot at the seamline on the shoulder and continue all the way down the bottom of the armscye.
4. Sew the lining and fashion fabric side seams, matching underarm seams.
Turn everything right side out and like magic, your dress is almost completely done! All that's left is the zipper/CB seam and the hem.
-The darts are very low in the back, going almost to the fullest part of the booty. I tried shortening one of them, so I could compare them. Wrinkles appeared on the high hip in the back on the shortened side. I was neutral as to whether high-hip wrinkles were worse than slightly pointy darts. I decided to go with the pattern as drafted and the incredibly long darts. When I look at the curve I am working with here, I can forgive myself for a not-totally-perfect fit. It's just a lot of curve and hard to fit with a one-piece back that doesn't have a waist seam.
-I added a walking slit so I'd have plenty of movement in the dress.
Conclusion
I was making this under the gun for an event and amazingly everything went pretty smoothly.
I came back from NYC and had literally 1 hour at home in which to do the hem (machine blind stitch) and little finishing bits. Luckily, it got done in time. The event's theme was "Texas" (as in the state and the University). I didn't want to be too informal, as it was to celebrate a federal judge, but I didn't want to be out of the spirit of things. A little black dress with burnt orange tights and cowboy boots seemed to strike just the right tone.
I am very pleased with this dress. The fit is excellent (at least under my not-too-stringent standards) and it definitely feels sophisticated and elegant. The silhouette is definitely in the spirit of the LBD and I will be glad to have this little number to pull out of the closet when needed.
All photos are here and the blog post is here. |
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What a beautiful dress! I love the fit on you. Although I don't wear dresses, this might be nice to have in the closet for a special event.
11/28/12 9:56 AM
Gorgeous. It does look fantastic with the gold shoes too. The little jacket is pretty spiffy as well!!
11/28/12 10:00 AM
Perfect LBD! Looks wonderful on you and I love the boots with it!
11/28/12 10:01 AM
Wow! I think you are ready for any occassion with that LBD!
11/28/12 10:05 AM
I love your LBD and your collage of photos. The dress is classic and fits you so well. Good luck in the contest.
11/28/12 10:07 AM
Beautiful dress and looks gorgeous on you...the fit looks perfect! Thanks for the great review!
11/28/12 10:22 AM
Your dress is beautiful and your review is really terrific.
11/28/12 11:04 AM
Love this! I am dealing with a similar curve in the back and I get the best results when I take out the excess fabric from the side seam of the back piece only instead of the darts.
11/28/12 11:06 AM
Wonderful dress! It fits you like a glove and looks fantastic!
11/28/12 12:43 PM
Love the Texas orange and cowboy boots!!! Great dress.
11/28/12 12:56 PM
Stunning work
11/28/12 12:59 PM
Great version of this dress!
11/28/12 1:04 PM
BEAUTIFUL! Very very nice. Love this - what a nice style 0 the lines are just designer!
11/28/12 1:11 PM
I love this on you! This has to be just about your perfect LBD!
11/28/12 1:20 PM
Lovely dress! I may have to get this pattern now. The cowl neckline and side ruching make for a much more interesting LBD
11/28/12 1:46 PM
Beautiful dress and very flattering! The day and night looks are perfect.
11/28/12 2:21 PM
Lovely LBD! The fit IS excellent and looks great on you. Love the orange tights and boots.
11/28/12 3:23 PM
I think you look better than the model on the pattern. I like it without the sleeves as well. You did a terrific job.
11/28/12 4:29 PM
Super cute and versatile LBD. Love the TX version!
11/28/12 7:38 PM
Great job! This is a super pretty dress.
11/28/12 9:06 PM
Super cute and love the neckline origami : )
11/28/12 11:14 PM
Your LBD is lovely! Your reviews are always so helpful and very detailed.
11/29/12 1:25 AM
Excellent review. I like the how you've styled this dress to fit any occasion. Cute and classic.
11/29/12 12:35 PM
Thanks for showcasing this great pattern. Its such a nice restrained cowl. You've put your collage together beautifully, i especially like the Tiffany backdrop!
11/29/12 10:23 PM
Style is exellent for the purpose
11/30/12 4:32 PM
supernice!
11/30/12 5:04 PM
How was your breakfast at Tiffany's. The store as a backdrop is a nice touch. This dress fills the bill and you have styled it well.
12/2/12 8:08 AM
The dress is beautiful and the fit is great. I'm glad to see that it worked even if you changed the grainline because I have a similar dress (also Burda) in muslin stage since last December. I did not like the skirt on the bias. I think I will try to change the grain and see if it looks better.
12/2/12 9:34 AM
Gorgeous!
12/3/12 3:09 AM
Wonderful dress -- basic but with great details! Nice fit too!
12/4/12 9:15 AM
Excellent review, Trena. Love your dress and your styling options. Good luck.
12/5/12 2:54 PM