First Burda Dress Continued...

So, I will confess that I picked this dress because it did not have sleeves.  I was traumatized by my first and last (so far) experience with sleeves...oh and with collars.  The dress doesn't have a collar.  It looks fairly simple, but has a nice shape.  And it's a petite-sized pattern.

But, things with Burda are not so simple.  The directions are simple.  They seem simple.  They are simple if you have lots of sewing experience and know what you are doing.  But that's ok, because I'm in a class. And my teacher, knows what she's doing.

So.  What I was trying to avoid by avoiding collars and sleeves, was working with putting together two pieces of fabric that don't exactly fit.  I find that annoying.  However, I'm beginning to understand that it is necessary when making something stylish that has more shape than a potato sack.  Curves seem to require this kind of finagling.  And I have curves, baby.

So, what I've learned so far...the beauty of stay stitching.  Yes it is a wondrous thing.  I get it now.  So, what you do is this.  The two pieces that are supposed to get stitched together, but don't look like they could possibly work, will work if you stay stitch the shorter piece 1/2 inch in from the edge.  Then, put the two pieces together, clipping into the allowance up to the stitched line as necessary.  This kind of spreads the fabric, helping it to grow and adjust itself to fit the longer curved piece.  Clip, clip, clip.  Pin, pin, pin, and if you are lucky, you will only have to stitch once.  Not so lucky, out comes the seam ripper.  Rip, rip, rip.  Pin, pin, pin.  But when all is said and done, you've created a magical seam.  You've made two pieces of differing lengths magically match up.  You are a sewing Goddess!

Next.  These simplistic instructions do not really explain what needs to be done so that this dress doesn't have raw, exposed edges.  There's no facing.  No bias strips.  It's all in the lining.  The lining does all the work and it's fabulous.

Sewing: My Very First Burda Dress!

So it is summer and so I'm taking the Step Beyond Beginner sewing class at Vogue Fabric in Evanston  again.  This time, I'm making a dress and it's lined.  I'm excited because I picked the pattern out of Burda magazine.  I subscribed, even though I've never made one of their patterns, mostly because I enjoy looking at the clothes and imagining that I could make such a thing...one day...one day...

dress-with-a-line-skirt

So...the challenges for this beginning sewist.  Burda prints shloads of patterns in their various sizes onto the same massive sheet of paper, so you have to trace the pattern (in your correct size)--meaning you have to somehow find the correct line to trace amidst all the other lines that are just screaming to be traced.  Then, what I like about the class, is that the instructor adjusts the pattern so that it will fit properly.  So we adjust, then you have to add in the seam allowances (because Burda doesn't add them in like most commercial patterns do).  I'm not complaining.  It was good, in that I think I'm starting to understand how the shapes work.  I'm not so good with 3d imaginings based off of a 2d paper pattern.  But having to trace it out, and then go back and add in seam allowances and hemlines, is prepping me to see it (I think).