Jungle January! BurdaStyle 05/2010 #113 Tiered Maxi Dress

I love Jungle January! And missed it last year, life was just going in other directions back then. I was determined to get in a growl or roar this year.

And things worked out like a charm. I've been attracted to this tiered maxi dress from BurdaStyle for a couple years. It's so feminine and a little bohemian. Definitely perfect for Florida almost year 'round.

The drawback for me has been the bodice. It's not my style and wouldn't work for me either! I need lingerie with straps.  But the vertical darts on the pattern seemed a good idea. I pored through my stash and came up with McCalls 6554, a Fashion Star sundress pattern. Bonus: both vertical and side darts!

A quick muslin and just a few changes to the McCalls pattern:

- I slit both bodice pieces just above the front side dart and dropped the bottom piece by 1". This took care of my FBA and vertical dart adjustments. 

- To compensate, I removed that 1" from the bottom edge. 

- I taped some drafting paper inside the front neckline and redrew it to a rounded neckline. 

- I didn't sew the back darts or use a zipper, and I straightened the side seams just a tad.

This little bodice is going to be a TNT for me. The fit is great. I've already sewn it in ITY knit fabric, and used it in a muslin for my Mother of the Bride dress.

The same pattern worked for both the woven and the knit. Serendipitous.

It's hard to see the print on this wonderful polyester broadcloth from Fabric.com, so here's a closeup:

Jungle Safari Cheetah Rose Burgundy

It came in two more colorways, both of which I purchased - wish I had more of all three.

Jungle Safari Gold & Green Flowers

Jungle Safari Amber & Rose Flowers

I wear cardi's a lot and love how this dress looks with a sweater. And it feels good - it was windy and  'only' 70 degrees during this photo shoot. Yes, I was chilly!

Back in the house and into my jungle jammies...

Ciao! Coco