Finished: Easter Dress 2014

Burda Plus Fashion Spring/Summer 2013 #423

I enjoyed making a new Easter Dress last year so I tried it again this year.  The tradition of a new Easter dress takes me back to my childhood.  Now that I'm 60, I need to go back to my childhood whenever I get the chance.  I used Burda Plus Fashion Spring/Summer 2013 #423 for this year's Easter Dress.

Pattern Description:

Long sleeved shirtwaist variation with hidden front pockets and faux front placket.

Pattern Sizing:
Burda plus size range 44 -52

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

I like this dress because it is was a shirtwaist variation.

Fabric Used:

I used medium weight crepe-like polyester.  I might have had better results with a lighter weight fabric.

Construction:

This dress has a unique significance.  I used thread tracing and tailor's tacks exclusively – no tracing paper and tracing wheel – to mark the pieces.    I was tired of the poor performance of tracing paper.  The marks were either too  faint or they did not wash out.  Thread tracing and tailor's tacks took a little more time, but it wasn't as time-consuming as I thought it would be.

Whenever Burda patterns include an inset corner, the sewer is instructed to sew it in two steps rather than pivot at the corner.  I usually get pretty sharp corners this way, but I’m sure there is an easier way to do it.

I like self-fabric belts because a contrasting belt will call attention to the fact that I have no waist.  Apparently, no one makes belts out of self-fabric anymore.  I had a devil of a time finding a belt buckle.   I found the stiff belting interfacing, but most traditional buckles were larger than the 1 ¼” belting.  But, I “made it work” in a way that would have made Tim Gunn proud.  There is no elastic or overlap in the belt so it needed a little tweaking in order to fit.  I don't think I'll be using that method again if I ever need another belt.

The instructions didn’t mention belt loops.   I need belt loops to keep the belt in the position where my waist would be if I had one.  I crocheted belt loops rather than make them from fabric.  I did this because I forgot to sew them on until the dress was finished and I believed crocheted loops were easier to retrofit.  I crocheted a chain leaving long ends at the beginning and end of the chain.  I threaded the ends through a needle and inserted both ends into the waist seam.  Finally, I tied the ends together on the inside and used Fray Check on the knot.

This dress has front pockets hidden in the folds of the pleats.  The pockets are positioned on the right side of the skirt and sewn in like a welt pocket without the welts.  

Conclusion:
I'm still in the midst of my "I-don't-have-enough-dresses" phase.  I like the styling of the dress and I'm glad it went together easily.  I'm inspired to move on to the next dress in my queue.