BurdaStyle Magazine: 03-2012-104 (Cowl Wedding Dress) - Type:Formalwear  | | Viewed 239 times
| 1 more reviews | Review rated Very Helpful by 5 people | | Reviewed by: | slmstyle | 
 | About slmstyle | | OR USA | | Member since: 9/17/08 | | Reviews written: 80 | | Sewing skills:Intermediate | | Favored by: 27 people | | patterns reviewed: 78 | | Bio: more... |
| | Posted on: | 2/20/13 1:54 PM | | Last Updated: | 2/20/13 2:15 PM | | Project Photo: |  | | Pattern Photo: | Pattern Info provided by slmstyle | | Pattern Rating: | Difficult, but great for Advanced Sewers | | NEW! See reviews of patterns from this issue | | | | Fabric: | Silk Crepe [See other projects in this fabric] | | Related Links | Click on  to add a link |
| Pattern Description: Cowl neck bias cut bridal gown with waistline seaming, lining, side zipper and back buttons detail.
Gown from the side
Back button detail
Pattern Sizing: 36, 38, 40, 42, 44. I made size 42 according to my client's measurements.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, it does.
Were the instructions easy to follow? Um, NO! The instructions were pretty vague and as with these downloaded patters, besides the fabric cutting layout, there are no illustrations to follow, just the words. And the words are few. Ugh!
I had a heck of a time with some of the parts, especially joining the front to the back at the shoulder. An illustration would have really helped here and maybe preventing me from having to unpick the seams several times to get it right.
The button loops were also very difficult to picture how to place them and sew to the back panel before stitching to the other back panel. Doing a basting stitch here securing all of the tiny, fiddly little loops before stitching the back seam would have saved a great deal of time and aggravation (and more unpicking of seams to get them all even and straight).
The front V shaped seams were also a real pain. Each one (there are 4 total; 2 on the outer fabric, 2 on the lining) took about 1/2 hour to pin and stitch just right. Those corners are really tricky to get just right!
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? My client loved the drape front and the back buttons which are very beautiful and elegant. I also like the whole lining construction, and if I had cut the pattern pieces precisely and sewn it all correctly as intended, and all the seam and darts matched up, it would have been perfect. But all of those factors and user error, not to mention a rushed job (three weeks before her wedding she had NO dress!) made the finished dress a bit imperfect and appears to be a bit askew.
I really did not like downloading, taping together, tracing out, then adding seam allowances to the pattern before I even got to cut out my muslin. That took soooo much time and attention, I didn't enjoy that in the least, and I think that leaves a lot of room for error.
Fabric Used: Silk crepe in a soft light pink for the outer and the lining from Mill End Store in Milwakee, OR. All in all, the 7 yards of fabric purchased at $16.49 a yard came to $115.43, the 18 buttons $9, and the zipper and thread, the entire dress plus the pattern download came to about $140 for materials, not too bad!
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I had to take up the left shoulder and lower the armhole as my client has uneven shoulders and a crooked spine. I attemtped to do this on the flat pattern after the muslin fitting, but trying to do this on the odd shaped self facing cowl pattern piece and the coordinating top back piece proved to be quite the challenge. I ended up having to do this on the finished garment as well, again, carefully unpicking the shoulder seams and getting the top to fit just right.
I also took in the side seams just a bit to better fit her waist curves. The entire gown looks askew on my dress form as my client has a slightly crooked spine and uneven shoulders.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I would sew it again, but with hesitation and only for a really good reason ($$$)! Especially now that I have made it once and know what to expect, and made notes on the instruction sheet along the way, it might be easier the next time and not take me over 30 hours to make and working into the wee hours of the morning, sewing and unpicking seams.
I would recommend making a muslin of this dress for sure. I should have made a muslin of the entire dress, the lining as well as the outer, and not just the outer portion as I did, as the lining construction makes a big contribution to the entire gown and is not straightforward to construct and attach to the outer dress.
I would only recommend it to very experienced or advanced sewers or those with a lot of time and patience to undertake the vague instructions and fiddly bias cut panels of the pattern. I think there are other, commercial patterns in the big 4 pattern companies that would be much easier to undertake with a similar dress design and results.
Conclusion: Love the look of gown and hope my client does as well, but it was a real pain in the you-know-what to undertake as my first Burda downloadable.
Since it is classified as an "Advanced" pattern by Burda, does that qualify my to bump up my skill level to advanced, or does the sewing project actually have to turn out nice and perfect and cuture ready?
|
|
 Pattern with more than 5 reviews!
<< Previous Next >>
9 Comments
Login to Add a Comment |
|
|Login|Help]
The dress is beautiful! I am sure your client will love it. I also hate matching and taping downloadable patterns. I'd much rather trace as I can alter as I do. Even though it was a royal pain to sew, I'm sure the bride will enjoy looking at pictures of herself in it for years to come. Great job!
2/20/13 3:14 PM
It looks lovely in the pics. I recently downloaded my first Burda (2 actually) and found the entire process tedius, plus I'm getting way too old to sit on the floor for that long!
2/20/13 4:05 PM
This is just beautiful...great work and well worth the effort. I say go for it...you're an expert now!
2/20/13 6:01 PM
Thanks ladies! It was a great learning experience. I need to figure out how to upload a gallery photo that is not so up close, that always happens to me!
2/20/13 8:00 PM
2/20/13 8:17 PM
Great job, difficult pattern, but gorgeous style!
2/20/13 11:40 PM
You did a great job on this dress and yes I do believe it qualifies your for an upgrade in skill level! You actually completed it and the customer was happy!
2/21/13 5:24 AM
I get downloads together as fast as possible with glue stick and rotary cutter. Still I dislike the stiff paper and mess but sometimes you just need it now or can't find it any other way. I dreamt my wedding gown when I was young would be this type but alas I never married and now I would have to wear a body spanx. Lovely job!
2/21/13 5:09 PM
The dress style is gorgeous and so beautiful in silk crepe! I love the color for a wedding gown. Very very great work. Upgrade your skill level immediately!
3/3/13 5:26 AM