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Friday 1 May 2015

BurdaStyle 08/2011 - 126 Dress (or not...)

Delving into Burda's archives here while I wait for 2015 issues to be more to my taste or for me to catch up with fashion.....

08/2011 - 126


This is one of those dresses that looks like a skirt and top, which after cutting out I decided to make into a skirt and top anyway!  Bit bonkers I know, but as I was putting it together two thoughts kept nagging away at me:
  • I never wear pencil skirts with the top tucked in
  • The skirt fabric I chose had such a great collection of colours that it seemed a shame to commit it to one top forever

I always maintain that you should try new things now and then so I did go so far as tacking it together and trying it on before confirming my gut feeling that my fabrics would be better off as separates.  Luckily this was an easy fix after unpicking the waist seam.  The top just needed a yoke band added onto the hem.  I had already raised the neckline by a massive 13.5cm, even Burda styled this with a cami underneath!



The recommended fabrics for the bodice are softly draping fabrics and the pattern has a side button fastening so it can be used with a woven, although both of Burda's versions and also mine use a knit - so I omitted the fastening.  You can see from the dressform side and back photos that there is quite a pronounced blousing effect.


I liked this top so much I immediately made another one from some leftover knit in my stash, I love clearing out those little pieces!  I cut the yoke band on the bias so I didn't have to worry about pattern matching (and, due to the bias I suppose, I see that I need to take it in a bit at the sideseams).  I did match the pattern down the centre front seam though.  I'm interested in trying it in a woven too.




The skirt is a basic pencil skirt, you could use any one.  I made a couple of changes from the pattern.  My skirt fabric had quite a large repeat and I didn't have enough to be able to match across a centre back seam so I eliminated that and shortened it a bit so that I could walk in it without needing a slit.  The zip is collapsing in on itself in the hanger photo below - it is a normal, symmetrical shape with a body in it!


I did a very lazy finish on the waist, I just added a strip of interfacing, folded it down and topstitched in place.  We'll see how robust it proves to be, hopefully it won't stretch out, I do like how completely unbulky it is.


I did quite a deep hem and planned it so that the machined hem almost disappears into the black part of the fabric.


As I mentioned above the colours in the skirt make this piece a great jumping off point for a mini wardrobe - black, navy, cobalt, cream, light blue and bronze.  I already have black and navy tops, need to work on the rest.....


19 comments:

  1. Brilliant combination, and you are right, it is much cleverer to make this as separates.

    I'm much like you, I don't care much for the recent Burda, so much so that I cancelled my subscription and will only buy issues that I like in future. Just as well that there is such a wealth of patterns to go back to in past years!

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  2. Love your take on this pattern. Much better as a top and skirt. I love the fabric in your skirt...very striking and would look great paired with any of the colours in the fabric too.

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  3. These look great as separates. I like your addition of a yoke band to the top...makes it sit so nicely on.

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  4. I love that fabric and the way you executed the construction of your garments. Is the yoke band a simple rectangle, or is the pattern for the yoke traced from the hip area of the skirt?

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  5. What a great idea to separate the pieces and make them two different pieces. Love the fabrics you chose and how functional this will now be in your wardrobe!

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  6. I really like the shape of the top, the yoke looks very sleek in a way that a peplum top would not.

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  7. Very nice! I gave up my Burda subscription and haven't really missed it. The styles are really quite awful lately. Overdone, badly fitted and just plain weird. Like you, my archives provides a wealth to choose from. The skirt fabric is stunning!

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  8. Absolutely love this and want to follow your lead but dont understand what you did below the waist. Hope you have time to explain because this is drop jaw beautiful.

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  9. Fabulous tops and skirt. I already have a similar pattern and you have inspired me to look at it in a different way. Thank you.

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  10. A much more appealing outfit as separates. I love the skirt fabric 😃

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  11. They are lovely! The fabric patterns are so charming!

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  12. Love how you changed directions in the middle of this project and ended up with pieces you will likely wear a lot more than if they remained as one piece. The skirt fabric is wonderful. I love all your changes to make it work so well.

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  13. I love how the top turned out -- such a versatile style. And the fabric choice for the skirt is perfect as a wardrobe-builder!

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  14. Adding the yoke band really changed this top and how much and how did you do it.

    Perfect idea to make them separate, and you will have a lot of fun also with accessories to change the looks.

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  15. I love the pieces that you made with this pattern!

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  16. Wow... I like them all, but my favorite is the top. What great work outfits. I love when I can make things out of knits that don't need ironing.

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  17. Separates are working well, the peplum is a nice touch.

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  18. Wow. You have a whole new wardrobe just with two patterns and a bunch of great fabrics. That's a great way to refresh your collection.

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  19. I love your new tops and the graphic skirt is stunning!

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