February Burda of the Month: 2/2013 #133

Thursday 28 February 2013
The good things about doing my self imposed Burda challenge are that I'm actually using my Burda magazines and I'm using up stash fabric, but one of the unexpected outcomes has been that I've sewn things that I normally wouldn't because I force myself to sew at least one thing each month (and as we all know sometimes there's slim pickings in some issues!).  I don't normally sew or even wear pants, so I was pleasantly surprised at how these red panelled pants turned out, and this bomber style jacket in quilted satin was equally unexpectedly good.

Normally I go for highly fitted and structured dresses, even my casual dresses are usually simple sheath dresses (like this stripey one which is one of my faves) or sundresses with fitted bodices with full skirts (like this one, another fave).  But I thought this floaty dress looked nice on the model in the magazine (not a good measure by any means I know), so I'd thought I'd try something different.  And when you see the fabric I used you'll see how different I mean! Firstly, the pattern - 2/2013 #133:

Burda-2-2013-#133-city-dress


Yeah, I know it's pretty much a standard Burda potato sack with pockets, saved only by a bit of elastic around the waist with a touch of Viking tunic with the binding around the neckline! I don't know why this one caught my eye this month, maybe because I happened to have some fabric similar to the model photo in my stash, but sadly it turned out that I didn't have enough of that fabric to make this dress.  Digging deep in to the stash to find a fabric with a reasonable amount of body for a wintery type dress but still enough drapiness, I decided to go completely ker-razy and use this umm, rather wild fabric:

paisley-fabric

Yes that would be a paisley print in orange, brown and purple shades - a vast departure from the grey, grey and more grey that I used to make my winter clothes from! This is a mystery fabric, picked up a long time ago from somewhere or other that feels like wool crepe but without the wet dog smell so maybe it's  a polyester crepe.

To go with the 70s vibe of the fabric, and taking strong cues from the styling of the magazine model, I decided to wear this with knee high boots too.  Normally I take my blog photos on my way out so what you see is actually how I wear it, but for this one I had to play dress ups because it was so hot outside that as soon as I took these photos I had to change.

Burda-2-2013-#133

I left off the bias binding strips around the neckline and around the shoulder seams because I didn't have any bias binding in a suitable colour but also because I didn't think this dress needed any more interesting element to it.  Instead I fully lined the bodice so that I could do a slit at the neckline, and also meant that I just did two rows of topstitching around the waist at the bottom of the bodice lining for a channel for the the elastic instead of having to sew on a separate strip of fabric for a casing.

The side view looks a bit hunchback, and I need to yank it down at the front because the dress looks lower at the back in this photo.  It doesn't look too bad in real life though so this is how it shall stay:

Burda-2-2013-#133-dress

I really need to improve my posture because this back view looks all sorts of wonky, but I do like the wide neckline:

Burda-2-2013-#133-dress

The skirt is just wide enough to drape nicely but not too full to be a wardrobe malfunction on a windy day risk:

Burda-2-2013-#133-dress

The true test of any garment for me is in the wearing - I like to give it at least one or two wears before passing judgement on it, so this one will have to wait a while until it cools down around here before getting a road test.  But it feels comfortable, and if I tone it down with a denim jacket or a dark leather vintage jacket that I have I'll probably get quite used to wearing such a wild print too!

20 comments:

  1. I love it, Kristy. It shows off your hair. Love the boots styling, a sign of good 70s taste unlike the cream men's knee high walking socks that are still cracking me up. Your version is much more feminine and fitted than the magazine version.

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  2. Not your usual style I'll agree but it turned out very nicely. I think it will look really good with a leather jacket. Well done.

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  3. I think your dress turned out better than theirs did. It looks comfortable even though it is not your usual style.

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  4. I like it! I agree with Katharine that it looks great with your hair. The boots are definitely the way to go. You could also wear a brown belt with it to further define your waist and break up the fabric. I also usually go in for fitted styles (because otherwise the girls disappear) BUT I like this so much I'm going to try it for myself!

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  5. I agree with Laura, your dress looks better than theirs. Looks really, really nice.

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  6. I love the new dress, and am glad you ventured out to the style and colors... it looks GREAT on you!

    Marianne in Nebraska, USA

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  7. You´ve made a marvellous dress! :)

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  8. Love it too. Wonderful colours that matches your hair. You'll be a true winter star.

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  9. I didn't expect this pattern to look that good made up as a real dress! I like your version!

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  10. I like your dress, the print is fantastic.
    I also made it, but my fabric is very thin, transparent :(
    You can see it here: http://quepuedohacerconesto.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/burda-022013-122.html

    I need to mend my burda 11/2012 -136b, using your instructions for the sleeves, I don't like even for use it in winter.

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  11. Love that fabric, the colours look great on you. Fab dress, doesn't look like the proverbial "Burda sack"at all!

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  12. It's a win! Love it with the boots. Very flattering and simple lines match well with the fabric. Plus I am exactly like you I never know if I like something or not until I've worn it a few times. Glad to know I'm not the only one!

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  13. You look 70s cool. This is a great style that you've made so well.
    While it's not your usually fitted dress, it does work on you.
    This ourfit will pass the test at work and the dress will work well when there's a sudden gust of wind!

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  14. Hi Kristy! This is a great look on you!

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  16. Love the wild paisley print and today would be a prefect day to try it out!

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  17. I love the print too, the colours are so autumnal but still cheerful. The dress looks lovely on you, quite unsack-like, which I would not have guessed from the technical drawing.

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  18. Love that fabric and the style is perfect for it. I'd have added the bias trim -surprisingly it can unbusy a busy print. But it looks fantastic as it is.

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  19. I think it's a fabulous print; I hope it passes the test wears because it looks really great especially with your boots.

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