Saturday, August 29, 2009

For the next project...

... I'm thinking another little cotton dress. How creative!

I've been eyeing this Burda dress (02-2008-124). The basic, simple design is right up my alley:


During a trip to LA weeks ago, I bought this fabric from Michael Levine that I think is destined for this dress. It's a heavier-weight cotton which makes it suitable for all season with the appropriate accessories.


A few adjustments to make:
  • eliminate the under-the-bust seam, as it is not a flattering look on me.
  • make it a v-neck both front and back (Burda has a scoop front and a v back)
  • maybe make it sleeveless... or keep the capsleeves?
  • might go with a slight a-line if there's enough fabric (only have 2+ yards)
And here's the sketch:


The time I spent making the basic sloper was definitely a worthy investment! Drafting and cutting the pattern pieces for this dress took only half an hour and I can be sure that it will fit. Burda's way of patterning would take at least twice as long for me, what with the multiple rounds of fitting and altering and all that fun stuff. I bowed to my sloper a few times after realizing how much time I'm saving. (Don't worry, JoanneM; I heed your advice and will still make a muslin.)

I recommend everybody to make their own sloper!

Oh, a side note... This fall is my last semester in graduate school (yay!) so I will be prioritizing school and finishing up the master's thesis (boo!). So, sewing will be intermittent in the next four months (boo again!). Come December, I will have my MsBA in Finance and get back to sewing (double yay - epic win! - even though this degree probably won't mean much nowadays).

6 comments:

  1. Ong, I like your sketch. She looks like you. I like your dress too. When are you taking my measurement?

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  2. I have seen that dress and often thought of making it for the same reasons as you - looks nice and simple (though I think my abilities limit me to simple things as opposed to my time!). How do you make a sloper for this dress?? I am an enthusiastic beginner so may not quite have the ability yet but am keen to read and learn!

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  3. Hey CyberGirly, I don't know how to contact you privately, so here goes: I took my bodice sloper + skirt sloper that are already fitted for me, connect them both at the waist, and trace a new dress pattern out of that. If you can use commercial patterns without much alterations, you can just use the Burda patterns straight out (or something similar from Vogue). Hope this helps!

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  4. Hey there - I think I understand how to make a basic sloper (which I've tried for a skirt!) but not how you then adjust that for different styles and patterns...

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  5. Oh. Hm.. I'm a novice as well, especially so in pattern drafting, and am taking baby steps right now. So far I've only done neckline change. My next project will have slightly more involved pattern adjustments, so I'll post something the process and what I'm learning.

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