BWOF 10-2010-128 - My First Garment on the Runway

This is the first of several reviews of the Haute Couture Fashion show 2011 garments made by yours truly. First, I'd like to say it was wonderful participating in the fashion show this year. It allowed me the opportunity to experience the formal steps involved in getting my creation on the runway.




Last fall, my sister and I sat down to look at possible fashion show outfits. This Burda dress was one choice we thought would be great for the show. It had incredible lines and gave me a chance to use something from my many, many BWOF magazines. I started on the dress in January.

My first challenge with this garment was tracing all of those pieces. Man o man. This step took a lot of time. The second challenge arose when it didn't fit. Burda magazine patterns run are larger than the big four. Ie., McCalls 12 is Burda 10. Finally, I tried tracing a smaller size and re-cutting the pieces of the dress. Here is the review.

Featured in - Out of Africa segment

Pattern Description: funnel neck knit dress with side panels and flared sleeves.

Pattern Sizing: sizing 72 - 88. You know BWOF has some special sizes for tall or petite pattern. The size I eventually selected was equivalent to size 10.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes, but the sides in the magazine appeared to be more tapered at the waist. I think Rosy said that Burda probably had the dress pinned at the back to give the tapered silhouette.


Were the instructions easy to follow? Well, the instructions were typical Burda instructions. Several bloggers helped me with interpreting the instructions. Thank you, guys! See this post for details.

More details can be found here.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? Sis, DD and I liked everything about it. The style of the dress and the two-tone, two textures. I can't say I have any dislikes. I had a little trouble with sizing and construction of the two textures, but no real quarrel with the dress.

Fabric Used: Faux suede and a stable knit from Hancock. Both fabrics handled well.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I didn't have to alter any of the pattern pieces, which was nice. The only change I made was using faux suede instead of leather.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes. My daughter and sister want would like this dress in another color. And instead of faux suede, they want leather.

Conclusion: This is a very unique dress that will definitely get a lot of attention. It looks complicated, but it was easy to sew once I got past the challenges. It’s a great look. Try it.



Here is my flickr set on this project.