I’ve been doing so many bits and pieces over the last fortnight, between making and fitting the bridesmaids’ dresses, doing some experimental pattern drafting, and a huge amount of gardening that it feels like I started sewing BurdaStyle’s Heidi dress months ago! It really didn’t take very long to sew at all, it was more that I was doing in in small chunks around everything else that made it last so long from start to finish!
I bought this brushed cotton fabric in Brighton last June for (a rather expensive for me) £10/m, but I liked the print too much to care. I also lined this with a silk/cotton voile from Goldhawk Road which makes it really airy and lightweight for spring and summer.
(You’re right – that’s not the moorings! We took these photos in Pip’s garden, which you may remember from a few years ago…)
Now, I did a little stupid thing here in that I deviated from my usual Burda 42 and went up a size to a 44 because I was feeling fat that particular day. Yeah, how very scientific of me! But in any case, that was stupid, because the dress turned out WAY too big. I probably could’ve gotten away with a 40 in hindsight, but there you go – I’d already cut out the fabric so I made some quick alterations, pulling in the bodice and skirt pleats a bit and pulling up the shoulder seam by a huge amount (I pinched out around 3 inches, so a total of 6 when you add up the front and back from the seam!). Luckily the armscyes were pretty generous, too, so I didn’t lose any arm mobility by hoiking it all up by a few inches. This had the combined fix of a) raising the really low neckline, b) pulling the waist up to my natural waistline, and c) putting the back poofiness into my shoulder blades where it looks much more natural than in the middle of my back. It’s still a bit on the baggy side, but close enough that it just feels “free and easy” to me instead of “muu muu”.
I’m probably a bit late to this party, but after seeing Karen and Erin‘s versions of this dress, plus the one Carol from BurdaStyle was wearing at their London event really inspired me to sew up this one for myself! It’s just so versatile and looks great with any number of print fabrics.
It’s a really easy, forgiving style and it’s just so nice and breezy for summer. I just have to remember to not second-guess my size next time! And I’m pretty sure there will be a next time, because I adore the neckline and really like the rest of the dress, I just have to downsize a bit…