Burda Style For people who sew
Description
Playful ruffles, airy chiffon, and a pretty print… a great combination for the perfect summer dress!
Last year, I made this dress to wear to the Festival of Arts/Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. It is a two month long event held every summer that showcases local art as well as includes an elaborate production of “Living Pictures.” It has become something I look forward to every year (this was my fifth year in a row!) and for the past three years I have made a dress specifically for the event.
This year I did not have much time to sew a dress so I decided to try a dress I had seen in the 7/2010 issue of Burda magazine. Two of my favorite things are ruffles and chiffon :) And if you have seen my other garments, I love prints! I stayed pretty true to the pattern except I used a solid, lightweight satin for the lining instead of the suggested two layers of chiffon (still too transparent even with three layers of chiffon). I also omitted the last layer of ruffle. It was beginning to look too long and overloaded with ruffles with the last layer… also a rule in design is odd numbers are more aesthetically pleasing than even numbers. Lastly, I neatly finished the edges of all the ruffles instead of fraying them like the magazine.
Working with chiffon, I did a lot of hand basting to start (something I picked up after taking a Tailoring class). In my opinion, basting by hand especially with something as slippery as chiffon gives me more control and a neater finish overall. The dress includes a piece of elastic at the top of the back bodice to help keep it in place.
It was a very cute and fun dress to wear! I got a lot of compliments at the event… actually, the most out of all three dresses! I can’t wait for next year and the next dress :)
You can read about the dress and see a few more photos on my blog entry.
Material Notes
chiffon, satin, invisible zipper, hook and eye, 1/4" elastic
Difficulty
Intermediate
Related Techniques
Categories
- Season
- Spring, Summer
- For
- Women
- Garment Type
- Dress
- Style
- Romantic, Classic, Casual
- Material
- Chiffon, Satin, Silk
Credits
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Aug 19, 2011, 11.13 AMby kelerabeus
Looks really cute! I remember this dress from a mag, but I was a little bit on a fence about it. Not a big fan of frayed edges, but it seems that you did some hemming on your ruffles. Looks way much better!
1 Reply
Aug 25, 2011, 04.24 AMby solsticefire
The pattern was easy to work with and very much true to size. I didn’t like the fray effect either, especially since I chose a busy print already. It also looked unfinished with the fray edges… but would be interesting to try that effect in the future on something else. Thank you for the comment :)
Aug 12, 2011, 02.25 PMby peaches2218
I’m not usually a big fan of the tiered ruffle dresses, but this dress is really lovely on you.
2 Replies
Aug 25, 2011, 04.07 AMby solsticefire
Thank you, means a lot especially since you are not a fan of these type of dresses! I’m not a fan either when they do tiered ruffles in cotton—too bulky looking—but I think the chiffon helps to soften the effect :)
Aug 25, 2011, 04.35 AMby peaches2218
Maybe that’s the difference. The drape is delicious.
Aug 10, 2011, 03.35 PMby turtlegirl00
great dress!! love it!
1 Reply
Aug 25, 2011, 04.05 AMby solsticefire
Thank you!
Aug 9, 2011, 10.25 PMby cyndi-de-crafti
Lovely lovely lovely! Beautiful print, wonderful material, and amazing craftmanship! <3
1 Reply
Aug 25, 2011, 04.05 AMby solsticefire
Thank you :)
Aug 8, 2011, 07.55 PMby CationDesigns
Beautiful dress! Way to make chiffon YOUR fabric…I’m too scared to work with such a lightweight fabric.
1 Reply
Aug 9, 2011, 05.00 AMby solsticefire
Thank you! Chiffon can be intimidating at first, but there are some tricks to it: I make sure to use a fairly new (if not new) sharp fine needle. It is best to cut one layer at a time (time consuming, but prevents shifting). I use a sharp rotary cutter and my cutting board- I hear tissue paper/kraft paper (which you can also sew thru) or some sort of fabric with texture like velvet works too. And lots of patience! Hope you give it a try in the future :)
Aug 8, 2011, 12.31 PMby keren
so cute! Looks lovely on you. Great fabric choice.
1 Reply
Aug 9, 2011, 04.41 AMby solsticefire
Thank you keren :)
Aug 8, 2011, 09.21 AMby dabura
great one. Congrats!
1 Reply
Aug 9, 2011, 04.40 AMby solsticefire
Thank you!
Aug 8, 2011, 06.14 AMby Ralf Schmitz
cute dress in a lovely material!
1 Reply
Aug 9, 2011, 04.40 AMby solsticefire
Thank you Ralf! I love your story and the projects you’ve posted! You are one talented man :)
Aug 8, 2011, 05.38 AMby libbysharf
Love it! The fabric makes it very interesting
1 Reply
Aug 8, 2011, 05.52 AMby solsticefire
Thank you! The print is of feathers I believe… or something reminiscent of :)