Burda 7659 Pleated Dress in summer green

I have been waiting for days for a break in the rain so that I could take
pics of this summer dress! I love the rain, drought is such an awful alternative, rain rain, stay, please... However. Today Mr. Sun came out to play for a bit in between showers, and I was outside in a flash. I was ready! Shoes, belt, camera, action - and what action. So windy I thought I would lose my tripod. I am holding my dress in the back in most of these photos!

Cute dress! Just looks swingy, sassy, summertime fresh. My fabric is a very pretty grass green cotton from ACMoore - it almost smells like cut grass.

Not seen in the drawings, pockets are included in the side seams. The pattern calls for a back zipper, which I did not include. If you are comfortable pulling a dress over your head and wiggling your arms through, you will not need one. The neckline is not the issue - it is the bust area, which has little ease.

I enjoyed sewing this dress. It is by Burda, so instructions are minimal, with no notches or extraneous markings on the tissue. In fact, none, other than grainline, pocket placement, and pleats lines. They did provide very good techniques for sewing and finishing the box pleats - which will make this pattern approachable by a less experienced sewist.

 

 

The curved bodice is lovely, almost a surplice. It and the pleats work together to form-fit the bust. Not mentioned in the instructions, but a good idea - I ease stitched the sewing line on the bodice, then turned and pressed it. This is a tight curve, and I did have to pull up the thread a bit while making the turn.

 

 

I ran out of my main fabric, so I used a piece from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden collection to line the bodice and upper pockets. In the pic you can see my pocket trick: I only mark the upper placement of the pocket on the garment front. Everything else is pin-fitted based on that mark before I start sewing the pockets. As a result my pockets match up when I sew my side seams!

 

 

It is really getting windy here...

 I sewed a size 12 based on Burda sizing. Adjustments I made:

• Sewed a 1/4" center back seam to adjust for my broad back. 
• Lowered both shoulders 3/8" to (1) lower the bust apex and (2) manage my hollow chest :-)
• Did a sloping shoulder adjustment on my right side.
• Sewed the sideseams at 3/8" beginning at the upper edge for 5 1/2", then 'cured' the seam out to 5/8" at the pocket. 
• Drafted armhole facings instead of using the suggested folded band facing. The pattern approach would have put 8 layers of fabric at some seams - I could only imagine what that would look like when it was topstitiched!

  

Last alteration - I added 1 1/2" to the hemline. At 5'7", just needed to do it.

Sandals, Jasmin NY

 I moved under the gazebo to do a little styling because I kept taking picture of leaves covering my face in the other part of the yard! But it is still touch and go!  

I enjoyed the fresh air and wind - we had more rain soon after, but it was lovely!

Ciao! Coco