Thursday, May 30, 2013

Burda 04-2013 #121 Halter Top Dress

This halter-top dress has been calling to me for a while. It’s kind of a standard halter top with a midriff panel and then a fuller skirt on the bottom. Their version included a ruffle on the bottom and lace decorations around the midriff panel. I left those elements off of mine. On theirs, the back panel is half zipper and half buttons. I changed mine so it was zipper from top to bottom.
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I’ve had this Fabric.com batiste hanging around for a bit and wanted to do something fun with it. It’s obviously a striped fabric and what I like about it is the stripes are all kind of random sizes. There is no repeating pattern running through it.
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I was very careful when I cut it* so the panels would be mirror images of each other. I didn’t have enough fabric to make the stripes on the skirt go straight horizontally. My original thought was to cut a long rectangle and take darts out of the top until I changed the shape to be like the actual pattern piece. I didn’t have enough fabric but I’m glad I didn’t because I really like how the back turned out.
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How fun are the chevrons in the back? I wish the front had a bit more pizazz like the back but more on that in a minute.
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The one thing I had to be careful of is the placement of fabric on the bodice. What I didn’t want was the teal and red parentheses on my girl-goodnesses. When you look at the back, you’ll see the large bulls-eye circles I didn’t want on the bodice. I wish I could have had more color on the halter part but it seems like every way I moved it, I would have big bulls-eyes. Sigggghhhhhh, like look at the ties! I love all that color! It just wouldn’t work with my limited fabric.
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Do you see the giant red parentheses? Those are the ones I worried about. Yikes! I love the back though, love it!
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Look at how they match up! Go me! Plus there is an invisible zipper back there too.
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I lined the bodice with this blue shirting. I knew I would need two layers as this batiste is thin and delicate. This is the left-overs from this dress.
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I used a butter yellow invisible zipper I’ve had in my stash for years. Here’s the inside finish with the lining and everything.
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I really like this dress. I’m headed for warmer climates to run some races and I’m sure I’ll wear it then.

I leave tomorrow so I’m probably not going to post for a few weeks. Have fun yawls!

 

 

*This is a tangent but I always cut out fabric in the morning. Is anyone else like that? I’m an early-bird, awake at 5am and that’s My Time to conquer the world. I have made too many mistakes over the years cutting at night. Now, it’s like a superstition thing for me. If I have time to sew at night, and the task is cutting, I won’t do it. How lame-sauce is that? Often, I’ll just flip through magazines to “spend time with the fabric” but I won’t cut it. I’ll tidy up, I’ll pet the fabric, but I won’t cut it. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

14 comments:

Linda said...

Love this dress and how you put all the designs on the fabric together. You have a truly one-of-kind dress that looks beautiful on you. Nicely done!

Teri said...

Super duper cute! Wonderful use of the fabric. Good luck on your races!

Sofie M said...

I love the lovely in the front ... party in the back look! You can wow people when you are walking away! I cut at night then I start sewing in the day. I hate cutting out and I have to separate it. Not that I've sewn anything for months... last assignment today. Good luck with your races!

SewingSveta said...

So nice dress!! You so careful worked with print, I think that I would make something stupid with this print and only after would see parentheses somewhere on the top%)
I need to take your morning cutting rule - I cut yesterday a skirt in the evening and did this wrong%(

marysews said...

I love how the chevrons turned out!

Kristine Balinski said...

That dress is fabulous! You look amazing in it, too! Love the chevrons on the back, you are a dynamo... any time of day! Good luck at your races!

MushyWear said...

Great dress! I love the back and the chevron striping. Good luck with your races!

Camelia de Bruin said...

Waw!! I read for a while now your blog but I must confess that I did never let a comment, I thought "she not going to read it any way" bad from me I know:). But this dress is so nice, it fits you so great !! And I also LOVE the back.
My time to conquer the world is from 8 PM ,hahha, then my 2 years old twins are sleeping already.:)
Regards,
Camelia from NL

Da99516 said...

I read every one of these comments!! Every one from you people. :)

Janet B said...

I will lay fabric out and rearrange pattern pieces in the evening, but no cutting for me either.


Love your dress.

Michelle Gannon said...

Awesome dress! And I thought I was the only weirdo who liked to pet fabric... ;)

Chris said...

This is just great! I love the chevrons too, the whole fabric is wonderful in fact. And you wear it so well! I can never get those halter necks not to gape in the most unfortunate places ;-)

The Slapdash Sewist said...

Really fabulous pattern placement! I love those chevron stripes.

Dalwi said...

Beautiful dress!

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