Finished: BSM 04/2011 #135

Elizabeth made New Look 6022, which was really cute and which was very similar to BSM 04/2011-135.  Her dress was so cute, I was inspired to try something similar for myself, knowing that I'd need a dress  with more room.  This Burda version is less fitted than the New Look version.  This dress has raglan sleeves and in seam pockets.

A cursory look at the design would make one think sewing this dress would be a no-brainer. But, noooo! Burda made things a little more difficult. The neck binding was narrow and was meant to be folded, pressed and sewn in like bias tape.  Trimming the seam allowance; sewing on the fold line and folding the binding over the edge.  A french binding would have been easier. Because the binding was so narrow, I hand basted it in place before machine stitching for a neater appearance. This is the kind a situation where an edge-stitch foot is invaluable.  The instruction said to use fusible  bias tape to hold the pleats in addition to basting them in place.  Since the seam allowance has to be trimmed off before attaching the binding, the fusible tape holds everything in place

I'm in the midst of my "sew-dresses-and-sew-up-fabrics-from-PR-Weekend-before-I-buy-any-more-fabric" phase.  I confess, I did not buy this fabric during PR Weekend, but I did order it from Vogue Fabrics by Mail in Chicago so it still counts, sort of.

The instructions specify a flat felled seam for the sleeves. I've been practicing flat felled seams, but even with the special foot my flat felled seams are a little sloppy.  So, I pressed the seam allowance to the back and top-stitched.
 
I like the simplicity of this dress.  The  simple design allows the fabric to stand out.  The next time I find very pretty summer dress fabric I'll use this pattern.

Tracing Tip 

Few sewers love Burda Magazine patterns more than I do.  Since Burda includes only one pattern sheet, tracing the patterns has become a challenge even for the most dedicated fan. It's easy to loose the line I'm tracing among all the other lines.  I couldn't put my hands on a usable highlighter,  the "pre-tracing" method of choice, so I used Post It ™ arrows to point out the tracing lines.  I placed them at various points along the pattern lines so that my eyes have an easier time finding the line if I happen to turn away from the pattern sheet.  Granted, a highlighter makes the lines more visible, but this method worked in a pinch.