Tag Archives: Burdastyle Magazine 05-2010-114

Clarissa

09/02/2013 2:05 am \ 28 Comments \ Carolyn

Remember I mentioned I had bought something rather exciting, which I was dying to show off here??
Well, here she is!
Yesterday was Cassie’s birthday, and I knew that she has coveted a dressmaker’s dummy for a while. Actually I have been searching in a lukewarm sort of a way for a few years; ever since her birthday two years ago actually (eek!)…. poor Cassie! Well, this birthday is an important one so I got serious at last. And I didn’t want to settle for something tacky; I wanted to get her really nice one; solid, well made, classy, attractive; one to last a lifetime. In my opinion, a good dress form is just about indispensable to the serious seamster. And even if you’re not, they can just look nice standing in the corner displaying a funky dress or scarf or necklace too!
Cassie has named her Clarissa. She is the small Lady Valet, from Wm. C. Jackson and Co; an Australian company. She is height and width adjustable. Isn’t she gorgeous?!
It couldn’t have been easier, I put in an order, paid, and a box turned up a week later on my doorstep. No fuss, no hassles whatsoever.
Well, no hassles if you don’t count that it took me a few years to find her, that is!
My first port of call was to check out Dummies WA, the local business that made my own beautiful, solid-as-a-rock Bessie, who has appeared here on my blog loads of times. But her maker has retired and the business is no more :((
I looked briefly at the ones in Spotlight, but they only had some very ugly, very flimsy models, covered in dreadful bright red nylon. Aesthetics are important to me; and of course you can make a stretch knit cover to hide a hideous colour; in fact I will probably make a cover for Clarissa too. But flimsiness cannot be fixed!
So I ventured online.. scary stuff. I’m nervous about purchasing something big and expensive online. I prefer to buy local, deal with a real person, and have the thing right there and then; but I couldn’t!
There were some really good European and British companies, which did not seem to post to Australia. And probably would have been astronomical if they had. I found a few really beautiful Japanese ones, but I couldn’t work out how to translate the websites.
So I was pretty relieved when I stumbled upon this one. She seemed perfect in her picture online, and she is!
Cassie is thoroughly stoked; therefore so am I 🙂
Incidentally, Cassie is wearing here her own version of the Burdastyle 05/2010 sundress 114. I made another version of this same pattern for her here, and one for myself here.

Please note: this is not an endorsement; although I am a very happy customer! and I did not receive any freebies or discounts.

Later edit: below, a better picture of Cassie’s dress. I forgot I had taken this one, from last Christmas 🙂

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Burdastyle magazine 05-2010-114, Cassie, dress form

Broderie anglaise

26/01/2013 4:00 am \ 35 Comments \ Carolyn

Fulfilling a filial request…. Cassie wanted a pretty little sundress for some upcoming parties. Actually she was totally planning to make this herself, honest. Well, that’s her story and she’s sticking to it! but her new career has left her with not as much free time as she thought she would have.

Ahh, the disquieting little thought-readjustments that come with one’s first full-time job.

Fortunately she has a Mum, willing (sorta) and able to step in.

The pattern is from Burdastyle magazine 05/2010, dress 114; a pattern I have used before to make this sundress for myself, and Cassie has used the same pattern for herself once before also. It is an utterly fantastica design for very hot weather; cool, practical, comfortable and pretty, and we have each independently and joyfully discovered that our dresses never fail to draw compliments. Subsequently, Cassie wanted another. Well, when you’re on to a good thing…. 😉

I made the same modification to the back bodice that I did to my own dress to give complete lingerie coverage.

The lower tier is sewn to a separate, slightly shaped lining piece, which is sewn to the bodice lining and which lies underneath the top tier. So in this latest version of the pattern the two tiers are completely separate from each other.

Cassie chose the fabric, two different types of broderie anglaise cotton voile from Fabulous Fabrics, and I used a little of my precious horde of plain white cotton voile too.

The buttons and butonholes on the bodice whilst functional, are essentially decorative; since the dress is put on and taken off with a long invisible zip set into the side seam.

Above; note the ubiquitous hair-lacky bracelet. I frequently wear one of those myself, too.

Voila, we have party dress. Ees time to part-ay.

Details:

Dress; Burdastyle magazine 05/2010, dress 114, slightly modified; of white broderie anglaise, my review of this pattern here

Posted in: Uncategorized \ Tagged: Burdastyle magazine 05-2010-114, Cassie, dress

A new sundress

21/02/2011 7:41 am \ 29 Comments \ Carolyn

I made a new sundress for myself… using the summer-weight cotton fabric I had bought during our shopping day out in Tokyo with Yoshimi and Novita. Japanese fabric! This now is one of my wearable souvenirs from our trip…!
The weather has been so so so so hot! that I still need some light little sundresses, even though perhaps I should be starting to think about autumn and winter sewing now, with days as hot and dry as we have been getting it is hard to believe it is ever going to get cold! Dabbling my feet in the water here was so nice I really didn’t want to leave this lovely little spot and get back to my daily chores, plus a mountain of office work that I’ve been putting off… woops, sewing has been so much more interesting to me lately I forgot I had to do actual work as well!
I used a Burdastyle pattern, dress 114 from the 5/2010 issue… and have to say I like using the patterns from this series. It’s economical and feels a bit more of a challenge to make stuff this way. It’s not as though I’m new to this sort of tracing-out-of-patterns, as I made many many things from the Topkids magazine when my kids were little, but I haven’t done it for a few years so it feels a bit new. And yes, as a commenter said on one of my posts previously, the pattern instructions are usually a lot more challenging too, because you are not walked through with helpful little illustrations like the conventional envelope patterns. I think I’m very visual, because I find that way heaps easier.
Before I hemmed this dress I tried it on and it felt a bit too short. Which is funny, because it’s not as though it’s actually any shorter when compared to many of my sundresses, but because of the very wide pouffy swirly A-line skirt it did feel shorter… if that makes any sense… so I hemmed with a very narrow hem and also made some little shorts to wear underneath from the leftover fabric. Fortunately I just had just enough leftover to squeeze out one pair of shorts… and so I am perfectly safe from a strong breeze showing the world the colour of my undies. Back when I was little my mother used to make me lots of little dresses with matching bloomers to wear underneath, and this is the same principle. Except these are not bloomers but tailored shorts with a zip and welt pockets, and all… I’m not showing the shorts off here, because I have way too much class to lift my skirt on purpose… you just have to trust me that they are there and I will show them off on a future post.

Details:

Dress; Burdastyle 05-2010-114, Japanese cotton

Shorts; (worn under) Burdastyle 10-2010-111, Japanese cotton

Hat; Country Road

Sandals; Micam by Joanne Mercer, from Hobbs shoes

Pattern Description:
A-line sunback dress with empire seam under the bust has a skirt of two gathered tiers, and side seam zip.
Pattern Sizing:
34-42, I made size 36, and made it a little wider at the bust
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished sewing it?
yes
Were the instructions easy to follow?
yes
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
It is super easy! There are only two pattern pieces to trace out, the skirts are just rectangles.
I love the loose flippy feel of it, it is a comfortable and lovely style well suited to our hot dry summers. This same super-flippiness however also compelled me to make a little pair of matching shorts to wear underneath! If you wanted to, the instruction provide dimensions for a third tier to make the dress a maxi length. I didn’t think the maxi-length would have suited this print, however.
The only thing I didn’t like, well, it’s my own fault, I wanted pockets and inserted them in the side seams, and that lower tier falls at just the wrong place, just where I wanted the pockets to go! No biggie, the pockets just sit a few centimetres lower than I would have preferred.
Fabric Used:
Cotton
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I cut out the back bodice wider and higher to have more coverage, I did this to to avoid bra-strap exposure.
I added inseam pockets, which sit just at the top of the lower tier. As I mentioned above, this is a tad too low, but I can live with it.
I added about 3cm to the length of the lower tier, and I’m very glad of this little bit of extra length.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I probably would sew this one again. I highly recommend it as a very easy, pretty and feminine little sundress.
Conclusion:
Great little dress; cute, very comfortable, feminine, cool and breezy. I am going to enjoy wearing this one!